Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Republican Party of India president, Ramdas Athawale on Monday said that he will urge the Maharashtra government to ease some of the restrictions for celebration of Bakri-Eid. The minister was approached by a delegation of Muslim community to ease of restrictions which have been imposed in wake of COVID-19.
Athavale said that he will demand that 50 people be allowed to offer prayers in the mosque by following COVID-19 protocols. The delegation has also made few more demands which include that goats be sold in the market instead of being bought online for the festival as well as that permission be granted for slaughter at the abattoir in Deonar.
Athavale said he would write to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Minority Development Minister Nawab Malik to demand the Muslim community.
The delegation that met Union Minister Ramdas Athavale included Maulana Abdur Rashid Ansari, Maulana Amanullah Khan, Kari Owais Saheb, Mohammad Kalim Sheikh and Mustafa Ansari.
The state government, meanwhile, has banned all religious activities in the state due to covid-19 crisis and has appealed for no crowds in public places. The state government has also appealed to people of Muslim community not to come to the mosque to offer prayers on the day of Eid.
According to the guidelines shared by the Home department of the state, there is a ban in place on all religious programmes and people should offer “namaz” in their homes and not in mosques. It also said sacrificial animals should be bought online or over the phone as markets dealing with them will be closed, adding that 'qurbani' should preferably be symbolic.
There will be no relaxation in restrictions for Eid as stated in the 'Break the Chain' order by the state government, and people are directed not to congregate in public places on the day of the festival, it added.
