Covid Rules Tossed Aside At UP Cleric's Funeral, Thousands Attend

The UP police launched investigations into the event after filing a First Information Report (FIR) today.

The funeral of a Muslim cleric in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun, attended by tens of thousands on Sunday, has raised fears of a super-spreader as the state battles a Covid spiral. The UP police launched investigations into the event after filing a First Information Report (FIR) today. The cleric, Abdul Hamid Mohammad Salimul Qadri, died on Sunday afternoon. Within hours, thousands had come from various parts of the state to Badaun and, violating all Covid safety rules and an ongoing lockdown, gathered at the mosque where the cleric's body was kept for public viewing. Few masks were seen in the teeming crowds, which amassed apparently without the knowledge of the administration or the police. An aerial view showed hardly any breathing space in the mass gathering.