Days after the Tablighi Jamaat fiasco wreaked havoc in the country, taking the number or confirmed Coronavirus cases in the country to 7,684 along with 250 deaths, the issue of religious gatherings has cropped up once again with Mosques around the country witnessing Friday prayers despite a nationwide lockdown that is currently in force.
A Mosque in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district witnessed one such Friday prayer gathering, and as can be seen in the video of the incident going viral, the police had to disperse the crowd that had gathered for the prayers.
Apart from the fact that the crowds gathered for the prayer, the sheer nonchalance of the crowd was particularly disturbing. In the video, one of the police officers in civil clothes can be heard announcing, “Not one of you is wearing a mask.”
What is even more surprising is that the Sub Divisional Police Officer KS Raj has disclosed that he had already asked the imam of the Mosque not to hold any prayers till the lockdown was lifted. But it seems that the clerics don’t really care for what the police or local administration has to say.
The police personnel present at the spot exhibited helplessness and reportedly said that it was hard to keep watch on each and every Mosque in the area.
As hundreds came out to pray at the Mosque in gross violation of the lockdown, Union Minister Babul Supriyo tweeted, “West Bengal for you! This is bound to happen when Honble WB CM throws in a sense of carelessness in the air by throwing open the Flower & Paan markets, Sweet Shops etc, when 1000s of TestKits sent by centre lie unused. People go carefree believing that COVID-19 has been defeated.”
West Bengal for you! This is bound to happen when Honble WB CM throws in a sense of carelessness in the air by throwing open the Flower&Paan markets, Sweet Shops etc, when 1000s of TestKits sent by centre lie unused•People go carefree believing that #COVID19 has been defeated pic.twitter.com/nEOy0hnGcC
— Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) April 10, 2020
But Murshidabad is not the only district that faced the issue of Friday prayers yesterday. Some shocking reports are coming in from Gujarat’s Vadodara and the Union Territory of Daman as well. Nine people have been held from Vadodara’s Panigate area for offering prayers together at a Mosque amidst the lockdown, while seven people have been arrested from Daman over such prayers.
Moroever, only two days ago, seven persons had been arrested from a Mosque in Vadodara’s Raopura area over the same issue, that is, offering Namaz together at a Mosque.
Those arrested for offering prayers at the Mosque despite a nationwide lockdown in force are being charged under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. It is to be noted that the issue of Islamism in times of Coronavirus Pandemic has been something that has cost the country heavily ever since the Pandemic started picking up in India.
Only last month, there were several reports of preachers from Coronavirus-hit countries, especially the South-east Asian nations, visiting India and residing/ hiding in Indian mosques, across several states such as Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Bihar.
Even the anti-CAA protesters, including the Shaheen Bagh roadblock organisers were adamant on persisting with the protests even when the Coronavirus Pandemic threatened a major apocalypse.
Around the world, from the holy city of Qom in Iran to the Christian Open Door Church in France, we have seen how religious gatherings can blow Coronavirus outbreak out of proportions.
And once it gets out of control, then it becomes virtually impossible to break the chain. The virus causes a lot of damage by the time its chain runs out of course.
But clearly there are Islamist elements in India, who are inciting people to take part in Friday prayers, something that can be easily described as a disaster-in waiting. As India fights Coronavirus, radicals within the Muslim community are hellbent on committing ritual suicide which could eventually fizzle out the fight against Coronavirus.
