Pilgrims seek PM Narendra Modi's intervention as Haj slots of 42,000 remain cancelled

MUMBAI: Several Muslim pilgrims and community leaders have sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention after minority affairs ministry confirmed that 42,000 applicants won't be able to perform Haj in June this year.
On Tuesday, the ministry informed on X that 1,22,518 pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia through Haj Committee of India. Earlier, Haj slots for 52,000 pilgrims who had booked through private tour operators (PTOs), officially called combined Haj group operators (CHGOs), were cancelled after Saudi govt shut its Haj portal-Nusuk. Saudi Arabia, following the ministry's intervention, has reopened the portal to allow only 10,000 of the 52,000 pilgrims.
Congress MLA Amin Patel said several pilgrims have approached him with a request to do something about the cancellation. "I spoke to many tour operators who said they had booked pilgrims three months ago and now they are helpless," he added.
"I have appealed to PM Modi and others to speak to the highest authorities in Saudi Arabia as 42,000 is a huge number. If they are allowed to go for Haj in 2026, there will be a huge backlog," he added.
The ministry has blamed PTOs for the situation, citing alleged delay in uploading necessary documents and making payments on Nusuk. However, one of the CHGOs said the delay was caused because IBAN (International Bank Account Number) linked to Nusuk was inactive. "Since direct payment to Nusuk wallet was not happening, we were directed to pay through Haj Committee of India, which would send the money to Consul General of India in Jeddah and they would send that money to CHGOs' wallets," the operator said.
Some operators said if Saudi authorities allowed 10,000 more pilgrims, it would be a big relief. "We all have pinned our hope on the PM now," a pilgrim said.