Amid rising COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, a large number of crowd was seen at a funeral of an Islamic cleric, Abdul Hamid Mohammad Salimul Qadri, in Badaun district on Sunday.
According to a report by the NDTV, the police have launched investigations into the incident after filing a First Information Report (FIR) on Monday. The cops filed a case against unknown persons after an alleged video of the funeral went viral on social media. In the video, thousands of followers of the cleric were seen flouting social distancing norms and other COVID-19 protocols issued by the state government while attending funerals.
As per the report, few people were seen wearing masks while the rest of the crowd was seen without them.
The cleric, Abdul Hamid Mohammad Salimul Qadri, died on Sunday afternoon. Within hours, thousands of his followers from various parts of the state landed in Badaun. The attendees thronged the madrasa Alia Qadria from Monday morning.
To control the spread of the COVID-19 infection, the state government had ordered a strict 'Corona curfew' till May 17, but the crowd at the funeral procession continued to swell.
Badaun Superintendent of Police Sankalp Sharma told NDTV that cases have been registered against unknown persons and an investigation is underway. "Cases have been filed against unknown people under the Epidemics Act. We are watching the video to gather evidence and strict action will be taken against those found violating restrictions," Sharma said.