No processions, mass gatherings today: Patna DM

PATNA: In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, no religious processions and mass gatherings will be allowed in Patna district on the 10th day of Muharram, also known as Yaum-e-Ashura, on Friday.
Patna district magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh told this reporter on Thursday that people were, however, free to organize religious events in their houses in the presence of their family members.
The DM also instructed all the circle officers, cops, SDOs and SDPOs to ensure that neither ‘tazias’ (a replica of the mausoleum of Imam Hussain) nor weapons are displayed at public places on Friday. He told them that all kinds of processions, demonstrations, public events and programmes related to Muharram would be banned.
Singh asked the officials concerned to coordinate with the members of peace committees at the block and sub-divisional levels and ensure peaceful observance of Muharram. “Inform them about the decision of the government and the district administration,” he said.
The cops and other officials, on the other hand, were told to remain vigilant. They were also asked to keep tabs on the circulation of objectionable messages, photos, and rumours on social media platforms and take legal action against the anti-social elements involved in such activities.
Muharram, which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, is observed in remembrance of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain, and his family and companions, who were martyred by the Yazid army in Karbala in modern Iraq in 680 AD.