Mangaluru/Bhatkal/Udupi/Bengaluru, March 19: Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, March 20, across coastal districts of Karnataka following the sighting of the Shawwal crescent moon on Thursday evening. However, the festival will be observed in the rest of the state on Saturday, March 21, as per the State Moon Sighting Committee.

In Dakshina Kannada district, District Qadhi Al-Haj Thwaha Ahmed Musliyar has called upon the Muslim community to celebrate Eid on Friday. The announcement was conveyed in a statement by S.M. Rasheed Haji, treasurer of Masjid Zeenath Baksh.

Similarly, Ullal Qadhi Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar has also urged people to observe Eid on March 20, according to a statement issued by Ullal Dargah president B.J. Haneef Haji.

In Bhatkal, the town’s chief Qadhis, Maulana Abdul Rab Khatib Nadvi and Maulana Khwaja Moinuddin Akrami Nadvi, announced that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, following reports of crescent sighting in Malappuram, Kerala. Special Eid prayers will be held at the Eidgah Maidan at 7:30 am. It is also learnt that Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts will observe the festival on the same day.

In Udupi, District Deputy Qadhi B.K. Abdurrahman Madani Moolur has likewise called for Eid celebrations on Friday, the Udupi Joint Jamaat confirmed in a statement issued by its general secretary Haji M.A. Bawa Moolur.

Meanwhile, the State Moon Sighting Committee has announced that, except for the coastal districts, Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated across the rest of Karnataka on March 21.