More than two dozen people were booked in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar for blatantly violating lockdown restrictions and the social distancing norms by offering mass prayers in a mosque on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The local police have filed a case against those who defied lockdown restrictions that proscribed offering mass prayers at religious places and gathered at a mosque on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr to offer collective prayers. The incident happened despite the local authorities and the law enforcement officials requesting the residents to observe social distancing norms in the view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country and offer their prayers at their respective homes.
The coronavirus caseloads in the district are steadily on the rise. At present, there are 21 active cases of coronavirus in the district. Given this, the district administration was constantly appealing to the public that they should stay indoor and offer Eid prayers and peacefully celebrate the festival. However, the residents disregarded the requests and appeals made by the authorities as they swarmed in droves at the mosque to offer namaz.
As soon as police got wind of a big gathering at the mosque, it proceeded to act against the miscreants. The CO of Khatauli Muzaffarnagar, Ashish Pratap Singh, reached the Kajiana colony mosque where Muslims had gathered to offer communal prayers. Upon investigation, about two dozen people were found to be present in the mosque for the prayers. As a part of the investigation, the police have started procuring the CCTV footage of the area to identify those who had violated the instructions and congregated at the mosque to offer mass prayers. The police have registered a case against 8 known offenders and 20-25 unidentified people under relevant sections of the IPC and Disaster Management Act for violating lockdown restrictions.