Hyderabad, October 24: Chaos prevailed at the AP Haj House on Friday as hundreds of pilgrims left for the pilgrimage.
Though a large number of policemen were deployed to monitor the crowd, pilgrims were confused as the authorities had made arrangements for passport verification, medical check-up and reporting at the Haj House itself which is normally done at the airport.
When a number of relatives rushed to the Haj House to bid adieu to their relatives, police had a tough time controlling the crowd. Minister for Minority Welfare Shabbir Ali flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh.
Abid Rasood Khan, member, ad hoc Haj Committee, said that the first batch comprising 418 pilgrims left from Andhra Pradesh.
“The Haj House has provided various counters for medical check-up, passport verification and reporting camps on the Haj House premises for the convenience of the pilgrims. The flight would take off around 9.45 pm, everyday from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport,” he said.
Among the first batch, 360 pilgrims are from the Twin Cities.
“Due to the recent floods, many people could not go on the pilgrimage and only a few have registered their names,” a member of the Haj Committee said.
–Agencies–