Bengaluru, May 14: Former Union Minister and Karnataka MLC C M Ibrahim wrote a letter to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, appealing him to cautiously decide on whether Muslims in the state be allowed to offer Eid al-Fitr prayers. The festival, scheduled to be observed this year on May 24 or 25, witnesses congregational prayers under the usual precedent. As per the current lockdown norms, however, the prayers would be held only if permitted by the government. Malls, Salons, Beauty Parlours to Open Soon, Says Nitin Gadkari Ahead of Lockdown 4.0.

Ibrahim asked the Karnataka CM to consult medical experts before arriving at a decision in this matter. He also noted that the Muslim community, if allowed, would perform the Eid prayers by adopting the safety norms and all precautionary measures. The namaz could be held in either mosques or Idgahs between sunrise to 1 pm, the ex-Union Minister said.

"After consulting medical experts, take a suitable decision enabling Muslims all over the state to offer Idd prayers at Idgah Maidan or Masjids in their respective localities," Ibrahim wrote in the letter to Yediyurappa.

Read Full Letter Written to Yediyurappa by Ibrahim

All religious places, including shrines and worship halls, were closed across India after the imposition of lockdown to contain the transmission of coronavirus. The Friday congregational prayers were also suspended in mosques after the shutdown came into effect. Relaxations were not offered for the month of Ramadan, as the COVID-19 cases continued to spike.

Karnataka is one of the less-affected states in India, as it has recorded only 925 cases so far -- 433 out of which have been cured. The death toll in the state stands at 31. Nationwide, the coronavirus tally peaked to 74,281 on Wednesday and the fatality-count surged to 2,415.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2020 08:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).