No call yet on opening places of worship in state

No call yet on opening places of worship in state

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.06.2020

The state government on Wednesday chose to remain non-committal on the demand by religious leaders to reopen places of worship after it received mixed views from representatives of various congregations. It, however, indicated that when religious places are finally opened, as suggested by the Union government, it would start with rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Some of the religious leaders preferred a cautious approach and suggested deferring a decision for now.

The Tamil Nadu Jama’Athul Ulama Sabai and the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, a supreme body of Catholic bishops in the state, urged the government to allow religious places to open from June 8, assuring maintenance of social distancing norms and strict enforcement of the safety guidelines imposed by the state. “Many leaders said people were getting emotional and wanted religious places opened, others took a cautious approach as they did not want to be the cause for spreading the disease,” chief secretary K Shanmugam told TOI. “They said the government could take the call and they would follow whatever conditions were laid down. We will have to be cautious,” said the officer.

A section of Muslim leaders too recommended that the government defer reopening mosques by at least a month. The Tamil Nadu Jama’Athul Ulama Sabai representatives had stated that the community was keen to begin worship in mosques, and even prayers during Ramzan. “We assured that all safety precautions would be in place, forbidding vulnerable people from coming, avoiding hand shakes or hugging and maintaining a strict schedule. People are more aware about the dangers of Covid than they were earlier,” TNJUS state deputy secretary Ilyas Riyaji said. The officials told the leaders that chief minister Edappadi K Palnaiswami would be apprised of the developments after which he would take a decision.

A section of Hindu leaders, including Ramakrishna Mission, had left it to the government to decide on the date. “We feel that the government should defer plans, if any, to reopen since the Covid cases are on the rise in Chennai and neighbouring districts,” said Swami Satyajnananda of Ramakrishna Mission. The leaders suggested banning devotees from sitting or standing for too long in the temple in the initial days.

Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council deputy secretary L Sahayaraj said all congregations had requested that Churches be opened. “Apart from our own rules and regulations, if the government insists on imposing more conditions, we will adjure the visitirs to follow that too. We don’t need police protection as we have our volunteers. Marriages have been deferred during lockdown,” he said. The Bishop council members expressed similar views.