On Sunday, 278 pilgrims from the Nedumbassery Hajj Camp, overseen by the State Hajj Committee, commenced their journey to Jeddah from Kochi International Airport to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage. It was noted by the Hajj cell officer that the original count was 279, but one individual’s trip was cancelled.
Among the group were 150 men and 128 women who boarded Saudi Airlines flight number 3783. P.A. Manaf, a Kerala Police officer from Muvattupuzha, accompanied the pilgrims as their guide on the same flight.
At 8 am, MP Benny Bahanan, along with MLAs Mohammad Mohsin and Anwar Sadat, flagged off the bus transporting the departing pilgrims for the first flight, in a ceremony held at the camp courtyard.
Key figures present at the event included A Zafar Kayal, the General Convener of the Nedumbassery Hajj Committee, Former Hajj Committee Chairman Thodiyur Muhammad Kunj Maulavi, Hajj Committee Members Kadaikal Abdul Aziz Maulavi, PP Muhammad Rafi, P.T. Akbar, Adv. BA Abdul Muttalib, T.M. Zakir Hussain, along with former Hajj committee members Anas Haji, H Musammil Haji, C. Hydros Haji, Muhammad Kunj Muchat, Nedumbassery Hajj Committee Coordinator Saleem, Hajj Special Officer U Abdul Karim, SIAL Director G. Manu, and S. Smith, the Saudi Airlines Station in Charge. Thodiyur Muhammad Kunj Maulavi led the gathering at the camp, while Hajj Cell Officer M.N. Shaji conducted preparatory sessions for the pilgrims.
MP Benny Bahanan, along with MLAs Mohammad Muhsin and Anwar Sadat, also saw off the first bus carrying Hajj pilgrims. Minister P. Rajeev inaugurated the distribution of travel documents to the pilgrims. India’s first Hajj flight of the year departed for Madinah from Delhi’s IGI airport at 2:20 am on May 9.
Under the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 signed between India and Saudi Arabia in January, a total of 175,025 pilgrims from India will perform Hajj this year. The agreement was formalized by Union Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State V Muraleedharan, in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah.
