Hyderabad: Permissions to conduct religious programmes late in the evening or at night in the city on occasion of Milad-un-Nabi (Prophet Mohammed’s birth anniversary) are being rejected by the city police. The cops in Hyderabad are not allowing events taking into consideration the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a police official said.
A senior cop stated that the Hyderabad police has been receiving applications from various organisations in view of Milad-un-Nabi to organise events like the ‘Jalsa-e-Milad-un-Nabi’. “However, till now, permissions have not been granted to conduct any programmes in the night or day time,” he added.
While mosques in the city are running as usual (five times a day, for namaz), the managements are ensuring that citizens maintain physical distancing and wear face masks, apart from frequently spraying disinfectant.
Milad-un-Nabi to be held on October 30.
Given the ongoing pandemic, some Sunni Muslim organizations have also decided not to have any ‘julus’ (processions) on October 30 to observe Milad-un-Nabi in Hyderabad. They said that the decision has been made keeping in mind the safety of community members and the society at large.
Mufti Mohammed Asif Bilal Quadri, President of Tahreek-E-Islami, said, “Every year we use to conduct a Milad rally from the Sunni Markaz Nampally, but this year there will not be any rally as the city has witnessed floods and people have faced losses. We are encouraging people to provide financial help to the flood victims instead and are also asking everyone to be cautious in their day-to-day life by implementing social distancing, using face masks and utilizing of hand sanitizers as COVID-19 is still around us. Therefore we can’t be complacent.”
Anjani Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, is yet to take a decision on processions on Milad-Un-Nabi. In Kishanbagh, a group of people has asked for police permission to organise the ‘Jalsa-e-Milad-Un-Nabi’ at night. But the police hasn’t allowed it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech to the country on October 20 also asked citizens not to drop their guards in the battle against COVID-19 throughout the festive seasons, as the infection is still around.