India News | Amid COVID-19 Surge, Gujarat Govt Bans Shab-e-Barat Gatherings

Ahmedabad, Mar 25 (PTI) The Gujarat government on Thursday banned people from gathering in mosques and other places for Shab-e-Barat that will be observed on March 28.

In a notification, the Gujarat home department said on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat, or the night of forgiveness, Muslims gather in large numbers in mosques to offer prayers in order to to seek forgiveness on behalf of the deceased and visit graves of their loved ones.

"There has been a recent increase in the number of coronavirus cases. In such a situation, cases are likely to grow due to large gatherings. It is important people do not gather in mosques and other places for Shab-e-Barat and COVID-19 guidelines issued by state and Central governments are strictly followed and social distancing maintained," said the notification.

Gujarat reported 1,961 new coronavirus positive cases on Thursday, its highest single-day spike on the fourth consecutive day since March 22, taking the state's tally to 2,94,130.

The state home department had issued a notification on Wednesday banning public celebration of Holi.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)