Karnataka has emerged as one of the model states in containing the deadly Wuhan coronavirus as the state has 315 reported cases of the virus with 13 deaths and has been largely successful in its battle against the virus. In a significant move, the Karnataka government led by BS Yediyurappa has decided to ban the five-time congregational prayers in mosques, dargahs and Imam Baras till May 3.
The Karnataka State Minority Welfare, Waqf and Hajj Department has issued a circular keeping in mind the holy month of Ramzan which is set to commence later this month. To prevent any congregation that can act as a happy hunting ground for the highly contagious coronavirus, the Karnataka government has issued a notification which seeks to ban the five-time congregational prayers including the Jumma and Taraveeh prayers in the mosques. The notification has also banned Dawat-e-Sahri or Iftar and also stated that no mosque members would be allowed to use the public address system during the Ramzan namaz.
The mosque members can only use the public address system during the Azaan that too at a low decibel with only Imams and staff members allowed to offer Namaz inside the mosque.
The BS Yediyurappa government has taken the right decision as they refused to partake in political correctness and have instead decided to focus the entire machinery to containing the virus. On the other hand, Yediyurappa’s predecessor and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy is busy preparing for the wedding of his son which is slated to take place today and is a blatant violation of the fresh guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It may be mentioned that Friday prayers and religious gatherings have become a headache for the authorities amid the Coronavirus outbreak. In several places it was found that despite directives from the authorities, religious gatherings took place which was not only condemnable but also posed a grave danger to the whole society. The Tablighi Jamaat fiasco in Delhi totally disrupted India’s fight against Coronavirus.
It seems that the Karnataka government under Yediyurappa has learned from the Tablighi Jamaat fiasco and have quickly acted to prevent any such incident in the state.
