Do not violate lockdown on Shab-e-Baraat, Imam Umer Ilyasi urges Muslims

Chief of All India Imams Organization, Umer Ahmad Ilyasi, on Wednesday appealed to all Muslims to not violate coronavirus-related lockdown on Shab-e-Baraat on April 9.

"I want to appeal to all the Muslim brothers to not violate the lockdown on Shab-e-Baraat and stay at home. I request all of you to pray for the people who are fighting against COVID-19," he said.

On Shab-e-Baraat, Muslims visit the graveyards in hordes. Some of the youth are seen performing stunts on motorbikes and riding without helmets.

Ilyasi said that this is a time to pray and "we all should pray for the people who are helping us" in this period.

"We should follow the guidelines of government and maintain social distancing and those who won't follow this rule will be the culprit," he added.

Expressing grief on the news of doctors being attacked he said, "I am very sad to hear that people are attacking doctors and misbehaving with them. I request all to cooperate with doctors who are helping us at the risk of their own safety."

Ilyasi said that we all should stay at home and help in curbing the spread of the disease as the only "cure" to coronavirus is social distancing.

With an increase of 773 cases in the last 24 hours, India's total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 5,194, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. As many as 32 people died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 149.