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Kolkata, Jan 30 (UNI) With swords and sharpened chains, Muslims march along the whole day in a 'Zulus', shouting 'Hai Hassan, Hai Hussein' and beating themselves till they bleed.

The sight is horrific as people slash themselves with sharp objects as part of the 'Matam'(mourning) on the tenth day of , also known as Ashura, over the death of Al Hassan and Iman Hussein, the Prophet's grandsons.

But not all Muslims mourn this way, it is only the Shi'ites who believe that they have committed a sin as Yejdi, a Shia, had killed Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet, during a battle in Kerbala, a city in Iraq, some 1400 years ago.

Sunnis, another section of the community, mourn silently by doing 'Fatiah'(prayers) near the Tazia's, which are the replicas of the monument built in the memory of Imam Hussain.

''We do Fatiah near the Tazias. Anyone who does this will have his wishes fulfiled,'' Md. Shakeel, the Khalifa(leader) of the Tazia built at M G Road, told UNI here today.

Sunnis take out a silent procession with the Tazia here. Hundreds of Tazias have been made in various parts of the city like M G Road, Raja Bazar, Khidderpore, Central Avenue and Chandni Chowk. People will take out 'Zulus', along with the Tazias, at around 2100 hours from all these areas which will culminate at Khidderpore, where all the Tazias would be kept or dug at a particular place, sources said.

''Shias have to hurt themselves, they have committed the sin and they have to repent,'' Md Shamim, a Sunni, from Raja Bazar area said. ''Our ancestors have committed a sin by killing the grandson of the Prophet and we are repenting for that,'' said Wasim Ali, a Shia Muslim.

''Every evening we conduct Fatiah. Each and every person participates in this evening prayers and mourn over the death,'' a 7-year-old girl told UNI. She had come for the Fatiah with fruits and incense sticks. ''I have come for my 'mannat'. My Abbu(father) is ill and if I do the Fatiah, Allah will cure him,'' she added.

But women here are deprived of participating in the procession as they are done from reading Namaz in the mosques.

The Ashura was also observed in various Muslim dominated areas across the state. Processions were taken out with Tazias.