According to The Indian Express, police in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun town filed a first information report against unidentified persons for violating Covid-19 protocols during the funeral procession of cleric Abdul Hameed Mohammad Salimul Qadri.
Thousands can be seen attending the funeral in breach of coronavirus norms, including physical distancing and not wearing masks, in videos that have gone viral on social media. According to NDTV, the cleric died on Sunday afternoon, and within hours, a crowd gathered at a nearby mosque where his body was held for public viewing.
Despite announcements from the mosque to stop crowding, Kotwali Station House Officer Devendra Singh Dhama told The Indian Express that people continued to pour in.
Watch | Huge crowd in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun for religious leader's funeral amid #Covid19
Abdul Hameed Saleem Ul Qadri died in Badaun on May 9.
No distancing was maintained by the participants. pic.twitter.com/xskiCRo7VL
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) May 11, 2021
Sections 188 (disobedience to a duly promulgated order by a public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of a disease dangerous to life), and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of a disease dangerous to life) and the the Epidemic Diseases Act of the Indian Penal Code, were all charged in the FIR.
So far, though, no arrests have been made.
India reported 3,29,942 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 2,29,92,517 since the pandemic began in January 2020. The death toll increased by 3,876 people to 2,49,992.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus has infected 15.86 crore people worldwide and killed over 32.99 lakh people since the pandemic began in December 2019. The infection has been cured in over 9.46 crore people.
The Hindustan Times quoted Sankalp Sharma, Superintendent of Police in Badaun, as saying, a team is watching the video of the funeral to identify people who attended it. Following their discovery, further action will be taken against them.
The Uttar Pradesh government has declared a state of emergency in the state until May 17 and has set a limit of 20 people attending funerals.
