Indian Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has confirmed that there will be no Haj 2020 for the pilgrims in view of the Carona outbreak.
Haj Committee of India has intimated the Haj pilgrims that Saudi Arabia has decided not to call Hajis from outside Saudi Arabia.
It also announced that application for Haj-2020 stands Cancelled and the amount will be paid back to the applicants without any deductions or formalities like filling of any cancellation form etc.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said
We have decided that Haj pilgrims from India will not be sent to Saudi Arabia for Haj 2020. Application money of more than 2.3 lakh pilgrims will be returned without cancellation deductions through direct transfer,
This decision is taken to ensure Hajj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective while observing all preventative measures and the necessary social distancing protocols to protect human beings from the risks associated with this pandemic and in accordance with the teachings of Islam in preserving the lives of human beings,
Earlier the applications were accepted from Haj pilgrims till January 20th of 2020. But the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire situation globally. Apart from India, many countries worldwide have announced lockdown.
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Every year around 2 million Muslims visit their holy place Mecca and perform their rituals for 5 days. And after Saudi Arabia’s formation, it has never cancelled the Hajj in the past 90 years. But this time due to the COVID-19 epidemic, it has announced that there would be limited pilgrims allowed. Though it has not specified the numbers, many countries have taken a back step in sending the pilgrims at this junction of COVID-19 pandemic time.
Generally, the pilgrimage will start at the end of July this year.