For most of India, Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on May 25. The first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal, it marks the conclusion of the holy Month of Ramadan.
This year, the celebrations are expected to be somewhat subdued, with the occasion falling amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country. This will be perhaps the first time that there will no 'namaz' at mosques across the country as the government has prohibited all kinds of religious gatherings in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
While many have urged people to celebrate while keeping the lockdown in mind, others including the Bengal Imam's Association have gone a step further, even urging state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not lift the lockdown until Eid was over.
However, visuals suggest that not everyone is abiding by the social distancing norms and lockdown instructions that continue to be in place across the country.
News agency ANI on Sunday evening shared images from Delhi that show a large number of people gathered at the market near Jama Masjid. Going by the photos, apart from being in close proximity, many of the people are not even wearing masks.
This does not seem to be an isolated incident. As per an ABP Live video posted earlier on Sunday, a huge crowd had gathered in Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar area.
India has so far recorded over 131,800 positive cases, of which 73560 cases remain active. As per data given by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday evening, 54440 people have been 'cured' and discharged, while 3867 people have passed away.
