UP bans Muharram processions in light of Covid-19 pandemic

The Uttar Pradesh Government has declared that no procession should be allowed on the occasion of Muharram in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Muharram is celebrated by the Shia Muslim community.

No procession should be allowed on the occasion of Muharram, in view of COVID19 pandemic: Uttar Pradesh Police pic.twitter.com/sTw7ZZk7RD

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 1, 2021

The Directorate General of Police in the state has issued guidelines declaring that people will not be permitted to gather and conduct mourning processions. Police across all districts have been instructed to take clerics, peace committees and other community leaders into confidence and ensure that Covid-19 norms are not flouted.

The Police has also been instructed to maintain a strict vigil across the state, especially in areas where disputes have been reported in the past.

Meanwhile, the administration in Jammu and Kashmir has decided to permit a procession in Lal Chowk after three decades. However, prominent Shia leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has raised questions regarding the motivation behind the permission.

“There is list of decisions-taken in circulation, in which, if my reading of this order is correct, the administration has decided to allow the 10th Moharram procession from Abiguzar to Lal Chowk (a temporary and alternate route proposed in 2018) after a gap of 30 years,” he said.

“Only a few days ago the IGP Kmr (Kashmir) told people to celebrate Eid ”at their homes” invoking Covid protocols. The Friday prayers at Jama Masjid have not been allowed for the last more than 100 Fridays and continue to be banned, again invoking Covid-19 protocols. The list goes on,” Mehdi added.

Mehdi claimed that the decision “raises more questions than it answers”.

Source : OpIndia