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‘Where are your priorities’: Uttarakhand seers, clerics question freeze on religious activities
Uttarakhand government says it was considering all the issues raised.
A prominent Hindu religious body and a Muslim cleric have asked the Uttarakhand government to allow the reopening of religious places of worship with restrictions and added that people’s religious needs should not be considered secondary, when a graded resumption in activities is taking place after nearly 40 days of nationwide lockdown, which was put in place to combat the coroonavirus pandemic.
The premier body of all the major Akhadas, Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, has sought to know why places of worship seemed not to be on the government’s priority list when permission had been granted for the reopening of authorized liquor shops in the Orange and Green Zones.
Mahant Narendra Giri Maharaj, the president of the Akhada Parishad demanded that portals of religious places of importance should be opened up for priests, saints and devotees while following precautionary measures like social distancing.
“As relaxations are being given, it’s imperative that shrines, temples, ashrams and muts are also included in the list of exemptions with compulsory enforcement of social distancing norms and use of facemasks for both seers and devotees. Religious and spiritual aspects can’t be ignored for long as they provide immense spiritual, mental and physical solace to people,” said Mahant Hari Giri Maharaj, general secretary of the Akhada Parishad.
Similar demands were made by priests who conduct ash-immersion rituals at Haridwar. They said the restriction imposed on the rituals of last rites during the lockdown was “unprecedented”.
Ganga Sabha president Pradeep Jha pointed out that ash immersion rituals are performed within a specific timeframe as per Hindu and Vedic traditions and added that a memorandum has been given to the state government for allowing ash immersion rituals in the holy city of Haridwar.
“Religious rituals are an integral part of all people’s lives, irrespective of their sect or community. With specific restrictive, preventive guidelines, surely temples and Har-Ki-Pauri can be opened up for devotees as has been done for Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath,” said “Pradeep Jha, president Ganga Sabha.
Muslim cleric Maulana Iqbal Ahmed has also urged the state government to allow the offering of prayers at mosques while promising adherence to social distancing and other preventive measures.
Reacting to the demands, cabinet spokesperson Madan Kaushik said that all aspects were being considered by the Central and state governments but ensuring the safety of human beings was their first priority.
“The government is opening up or relaxing restrictions, but majorly it depends on Covid-19 containment and figures from the area concerned,” he said.
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“Prior to lockdown, temple committees had ensured that pilgrims wore facemasks and use sanitizers. We will apply even stricter safety measures if the government allows the shrines to open to the public,” said Mahant Ravindra Puri, head of Shri Mata Mansa Devi temple trust.
