299 from Assam & 5 from Meghalaya Participated at 'Coronavirus Hotspot' Tablighi Jamaat Meet in Nizamuddin

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Guwahati, March 31, 2020:

The Delhi-based headquarter of Tablighi Jamaat, an evangelical Muslim sect, in Delhi's Nizamuddin area has emerged as the new hotspot for coronavirus infection, thereby posing as a threat across the country, including Assam and Meghalaya.

Attendees from Indonesia, Malaysia, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya had participated in the Tablighi Jamaat annual congregation amid the nationwide lockdown. According to reports, 24 out of these have tested positive for COVID-19 and 200 others have shown symptoms of the virus. As many as 1,400 people are believed to have been exposed to the virus now.

Of these, as per data shared by Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, 299 people are from Assam. Another data showed that five people from Meghalaya also participated in the congregation.

"Assam Govt is now in possession of a list of 299 persons who were present in and around the hotspot near Nizamuddin Dargah. We've alerted dist admins to find out if these people have returned to Assam, and strict instructions issued to quarantine them if they are in the state," he tweeted.

The Shillong Times Editor, Patricia Mukhim took to her Facebook and lashed out at the International Islamic Conference for organising the same during the lockdown, despite the orders by the Government that no religious practices at Church, Dargahs or Temples should take place until further orders.

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"...Does the lockdown not pertain to this religious community? This is disgusting to say the least," she wrote. She added, "Now that some from among them have tested Covid positive and about 6 have died, I hope the Government airlifts the rest to some abandoned island until all this health threat is over. This is where religion (and here I mean all religion)becomes a hindrance to public health...Just imagine how many in that group of over a thousand would test positive and how many more would be carriers.. And no this is no Islamophobia. This is a pragmatic soul who is equi-distant from all religions speaking and at a time when we are facing a global health crisis.."

She went on to say, "Don't the heads of this religious group have any sense of responsibility. In the first place these people have violated the Epidemic Diseases Act and now they have become a threat to the larger Indian community..."

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Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also took to Twitter to request the ones from the State who attended the congregation to immediately and voluntarily report to the nearest Government Hospital or call the Helpline No. 104.

"Urgent Request If there is anyone from Assam who attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi, please IMMEDIATELY report voluntarily to the nearest government hospital or by calling Helpline no # 104. Please treat this as very important," the Health Minister tweeted.

It has been reported that the first indications of the Tablighi Jamaat site being a source of the disease came in the middle of last week when officials in four regions – Andaman, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kashmir – began working back the travel histories of patients who tested positive there.

Eight of these, including seven who went to Hyderabad and one who went to Srinagar, have died of the disease. According to reports, all of them had been to the building in Nizamuddin – also referred to as a markaz -- which shares a boundary with the police station and is close to the famous Nizamuddin Auliya shrine.

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As officials began to clear the site where the congregation took place, the number of people showing symptoms for Covid-19 had risen to 188 by Monday evening. It needs mention here that the sudden outbreak led to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government directing the Delhi Police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against the head of the markaz.

“A lockdown was imposed in entire India on March 24 and it was the duty of every owner and administrator of every hotel, guesthouse, hostel and similar establishment to maintain social distancing. It looks like social distancing and quarantine protocols were not practiced here,” said a statement by the government.

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Edited By: Admin

Published On: Mar 31, 2020