Coronavirus - States Asked To Be Careful During Ramzan Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

All kinds of gatherings are already banned and there are strict restrictions on the assembly of people.

With the Islamic holy month of Ramzan beginning on Thursday, the central government has told states to be cautious about large gatherings and urge religious leaders to ask their followers to stay home and pray amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

"No formal evening prayers in any mosque would anyway be allowed as tge entire country is under lockdown but since there are inputs from many cities that in some places some people may collect for Taraweeh prayers, we have alerted state police where Muslim population is high," a senior government official said.

All kinds of gatherings are already banned and there are strict restrictions on the assembly of people but there are apprehensions that some devotes may still try to visit mosques to offer taraweeh prayers which are performed every night during Ramzan.

"We have asked state police to tackle such devotees tactfully. Also ensure social distancing and norms of lockdown are followed without any fail," the bureaucrat said.

State police officials have also been asked to reach out to community leaders and management committees of various mosques.

"We have asked local police to persuade the religious leaders of the Muslim community and management committees of various masjids to request devotees not to visit masjids for prayers and keep masjids closed," another officer said.

Sources in the Home Ministry said that many Islamic organisations have already urged people to strictly follow the directions issued by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation and not violate the lockdown rules.

Among them is Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, the chief of the Islamic group Tablighi Jamaat that organised a religious congregation in Delhi last month setting off India's biggest cluster of coronavirus cases. The cleric has reportedly released an audio clip asking his followers to cooperate with local administration wherever they are in the country.

Many other religious leaders too have appealed to everyone that those following Ramzan should strictly observe the dawn-to-dusk fast and offer taraweeh prayers within their houses.