Thousands of mourners were caught on camera defying lockdown orders as they gathered to pay their respects to a deceased Islamic preacher.
The funeral, which was reportedly attended by dozens of thousands of followers, took place in Sarail, Bangladesh.
While the family of the preacher, Jubayer Ahmad Ansari, assured that only fifty people would be allowed to attend the event, thousands were seen gathering on the streets.
As of this writing, Bangladesh has recorded just below 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. However, the country with more than 164 million people has recorded a sudden rise in fresh cases during the last week.
According to the local police chief, the mourners were arriving “in waves” whereas the police were left unable to stop the masses from paying their respects to the 55-year-old preacher due to their size.
“People came in waves,” Chief Shahadat Hossain said in an interview with AFP.
As the organizers estimated, around 100,000 people violated the lockdown orders as they attended the funeral. The number was also confirmed by Shah Ali Farhad, the prime minister’s aide.
In a recent turn of events, the Bangladesh government has also banned worshippers from taking part in prayers consisting of more than five people in the country’s mosques.
With Ramadan starting on April 23, the prime minister has also encouraged people to pray from home to prevent the spreading of the novel coronavirus.
Despite government orders, plenty of influential religious figures and groups in the country are allegedly calling on people to show up at mosques for daily prayers.
In March, some 25,000 worshippers attended a controversial prayer held in the city of Raipur during which they attempted to get rid of the virus.
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Replaced!