Saudi Arabia has taken many crowd control measures for Hajj 2025, including new travel restrictions and the suspension of certain visa issuances to people from 14 countries, including India. As a result, about 52,OOO Indian pilgrims face uncertainty after the Kingdom cancelled access to Mina zones that were earlier allotted to private tour operators.
Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage for Muslims to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. This year, Hajj is expected to take place from June 4 to June 9, depending on the sighting of the moon that marks the beginning of Zil-Hajj—the 12th month of the Islamic calender. Pilgrims are expected to start their journey by the end of April. The pilgrimage is performed during a particular period that culminates with Eid-ul-Adha.
Indian pilgrims travel through either the Hajj Committee of India (HCoI), a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, or through Private Tour Operators (PTOs), also known as Hajj Group Organisers (HGOs).
Earlier, in January 2025, India signed a Haj agreement with Saudi Arabia, finalising a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims. The agreement was signed by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, in Jeddah.
“Hajj Agreement 2025 signed with Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister for Hajj and Umrah of the Kindom of Saudi Arabia. Finalised a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India for Hajj 2025. We are committed to providing the best possible services to all our Haj pilgrims,” Rijiju posted on X in January.
He added that the quota distribution over the last five years has varied between 70:30 and 80:20.
