The Madhya Pradesh police have registered an FIR against 40 men for violating the prohibitory orders of the government and gathering at the mosque in Kharikhurd village of Chhindwara Seoni road for their Shab-e-baraat ceremony. Chourai police Inspector Mukesh Dwivedi told the Indian Express that the police entered the mosque with adequate force at 7 pm after a receiving information that many have gathered to perform their religious acts.
The lockdown violators included the sarpanch of Khairikhurd village. An FIR has been registered under sections 188 and 269 of the Indian penal code, in addition to provisions of the Disaster Management Act, Epidemic Act, and Madhya Pradesh Public Health Act. Inspector Dwivedi said that all the 40 people who belonged to the same village were later released on bail. They were aged between 25 and 60. They also apologized for gathering to offer prayer on the occasion of Shab-e-Baraat.
Earlier Shia Waqf board had decided to shut all the graveyards amid the occasion of Shab-e-baraat in view of the lockdown imposed due to the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic in the country. Muslim religious leader Syed Umer Ilyasi had also appealed to all the Muslims to remain inside their homes on the occasion of Shab-e-baraat as the 21-day lockdown is still in force in the entire country. Despite that, the Muslims gathered to celebrate the festival completely defying the social distancing norms and disrespecting the guidelines issued by the government.
