Thousands gathered within hours at the mosque where the cleric’s body was kept for public viewing, violating all Covid safety rules and an ongoing lockdown.
As the country along with the northern state of Uttar Pradesh fights the massive second wave of Covid-19 infections, another event has come to the fore that might turn out to be a super spreader as tens of thousands on Sunday attended the funeral of a Muslim cleric in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun. After filing a First Information Report (FIR) on Monday, the UP police launched investigations into the event.
Abdul Hamid Mohammad Salimul Qadri, the cleric in this particular case, died on Sunday afternoon.
From various parts of the state to Badaun, thousands gathered within hours at the mosque where the cleric’s body was kept for public viewing, violating all Covid safety rules and an ongoing lockdown.
Very few were seen wearing masks in the huge gathering, that amassed apparently without the knowledge of the administration or the police. An aerial video of the event showed hardly any breathing space in the mass gathering.
The visuals of the gathering, which have gone viral now, have stoke fear amid authorities regarding a jump in infections.
“Cases have been filed against unknown people under the Epidemics Act. We are watching the video to gather evidence and strict action will be taken against those found violating restrictions,” Badaun Superintendent of Police Sankalp Sharma told NDTV.
Though Uttar Pradesh has seen a dip in daily cases over the past few days, the Covid cases remain high at over 20,000 a day.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
