Guwahati: At a time when the entire World is in the midst of the deadly Corona virus pandemic and social distancing norms are a must, in a bizarre incident tens of thousands gathered at Juria under middle Assam’s Nagaon District to attend the funeral of a well- known preacher.
The funeral gathering was of Mufti Khairul Islam who was the Vice- President of All India Jamiat Ulema and “Aamir-e-Shariat” for the Northeast. He was also the father of controversial Dhing MLA Aminul Islam.
As per reports, the family wanted the funeral to be held on July 3, but later decided to go ahead with it by July 2 itself. Based on the photographs shared by his son Aminul Islam on Facebook, a huge gathering can be seen.
Taking note of the event, district administration officials estimated that at least 10,000 people were in attendance. Two police cases have been filed, one suo motu by the police and another by a magistrate present at the spot, Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Jadav Saikia said. A lockdown has also been imposed on three villages surrounding the field in an attempt to contain any spread of the deadly virus.
“There were no law and order issues in the gathering. But the gatherers violated the ongoing COVID pandemic laws regarding the gathering, social distancing, wearing masks, etc. The cases are not against any individual but against violators. We will investigate the case and proceed as per law,” Jadav Saikia said in a statement.
Reacting to the incident MLA Islam commented, “My father was a very renowned figure and had a very large following. We had communicated to the administration about the death and the funeral. Accordingly, to limit the number of participants, the police also asked many vehicles to revert back. But still, people found ways to turn up.”
Assam has seen a rapid increase in Corona positive cases with the tally crossing the 11,000 mark on Saturday.
Image Source: News18