AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday, said that those who died due to COVID-19 should get the status of martyrs in Islam and the burial of martyrs does not need ‘ghusl’ (bath) or ‘kafan’ (shroud).
The Hyderabad MP said ‘namaz-e-janazah’ of the martyrs should be offered immediately and the burial should be carried out in the presence of few people.
Jis insaan ka inteqaal waba ki wajah se hota hai, Islam mein uska darja shaheed ka hota hai. Shuhadah ko ghusl aur kafan ki zaroorat nahi hoti aur unhein jald se jald dafan kiya jaana chahiye https://t.co/lmQJxf30cZ
â Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 2, 2020
Owaisi’s remarks came at a time when the family of those who succumbed to COVID-19 are, with strict restrictions, disposing the bodies.
In the case of deaths in Telangana, all the nine casualties had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month. The bodies of the deceased are not being given ‘ghusl’, nor are they being clothed before burial.
Earlier, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) had issued a circular clarifying that all victims of COVID-19 irrespective of their religion should be cremated to avoid the spread of infection. However, the order was revised later.
Now, people who wish to conduct the burial would be permitted if the burial ground is big enough to avoid the spread of coronavirus in the neighbourhood.
The guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry permit the presence of only a few relatives of the deceased at the time of the burial.
As per the listed guidelines, the burial should be conducted under strict supervision of the authorities concerned and as per the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the Centre to prevent any possible infection.
The SOP does not allow any family member to touch, kiss or hug the body of the deceased.
Additionally, Owaisi also lashed out at the media for giving the coronavirus crisis a ‘communal’ angle due to Tablighi Jamaat Markaz and called it shameful.
‘I condemn that Islam is being blamed for the situation in the country now. Disease or plague has no religion, but some media outlets which blindly defend the government, BJP and Prime Minister have given coronavirus a religion,’ he said, defending the event at Markaz Nizamuddin.
