Yoga Day violence: Fatwa Council’s opinion sought

A case has been filed with the Parliament’s relevant committee requesting to clear the opinion of Fatwa Council on yoga.

In the letter sent by PNC’s Parliamentary Group Leader, Maduvvari MP Adam Shareef Umar – he said that Fatwa Council’s failure to issue regarding the International Day of Yoga celebrations held at National Stadium on June 21 - which had prompted conflicts amongst the general public - was extremely irresponsible.

Therewith, it was requested in the letter to inquire why Fatwa Council had failed to fulfill its responsibilities as well as to inquire about the government’s plans to ensure such an incident does not repeat again.

The yoga day event, organized by the Indian Cultural Center and the Sports Ministry, had begun at 06:30 am on June 21, and was attended by dozens of participants, including foreign ambassadors and diplomats.

A mob of angry protestors stormed the stadium, threatened and assaulted some of the participants, and destroyed property. They were carrying flags containing verses from the Shahada.

Police said in an earlier statement the case was being investigated as a serious matter, and that preliminary investigative findings established that some of the items used by the mob had come from the office of PPM.

A total of 21 arrests were made in connection to this case including two religious scholars.