Many participants were seen without masks during the procession in the Old City area.
Hyderabad:
Hundreds of people joined Muharram’s annual procession in Hyderabad on Sunday amid the COVID-19 pandemic in defiance of a court order. Large numbers of devotees were seen walking with the historic ‘Bibi Ka Alam’ procession in the old town, with no visible social distancing. Many participants were seen without masks.
The procession took place despite an order from the Telangana high court refusing permission for a Muharram procession in Hyderabad. Supreme Cout had also rejected a similar request last week.
For the first time in history, the ‘Bibi Ka Alam’ procession was taken out in a van instead of a harnessed elephant leading it.
The procession started from Dabeerpura and passed through Charminar-Gulzar Houz-Purani Havel-Darulshifa before finally ending at Chaderghat.
The procession takes place every year in the first month of the Islamic calendar on the 10th of Muharram, known as Ashura. Like many other religious occasions this year, this also took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, the Supreme Court denied permission for Muharram processions in the country. The court had said it would lead to chaos and that “a particular community will be targeted” for spreading the coronavirus.
“If we allow this procession across the country, there will be chaos and a particular community will be the target of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Supreme Court Chief Justice SA Bobde said as he listened to a request for permission for a procession in Lucknow. .
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