The Hyderabad police have registered six cases in connection with the 10th Muharrum ‘Bibi Ka Alam’ procession for violation of lockdown rules as thousands of Shia Muslims hit the streets to observe Muharram.
Despite the orders from Telangana High Court, members of the Shia community took out a procession and also indulged in Khooni Matam.
Thousands gathered in the procession in the old city and it passed through Charminar, Gulzar Houz, Purani Haveli, Darulshifa and Chaderghat. Many in the procession were seen without masks and without maintaining social distancing.
The suo-moto cases have been registered at the Mirchowk, Chaderghat, Rein Bazaar, Dabeerpura and Charminar police stations that form the route of the procession. The cases were registered under sections of the Disaster Management Act 2005, the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, based on complaints raised by police officers on crowd control duty who observed several violations.
Police have booked the organisers part of the Ashoorkhana committees that oversee the procession, under sections of the Disaster Management Act 2005, the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. Total Six cases were registered since religious and social gatherings are not permitted under the Unlock 3 guidelines of the MHA.
Earlier, a writ petition had been filed in Telangana High Court requesting it to instruct the police to accord permission to take out the Muharram procession but Justice T. Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court declined the petition and directed Hyderabad Police not to allow any Muharram procession.
