Assam Police Gives Jamaat Attendees Reporting Deadline till Tomorrow

Dispur, April 6, 2020:

In an "urgent message", the Assam Police has appealed those who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation to come forward by 6 am tomorrow, or face consequences.

"This is the final appeal to those people who have come to Assal after being present at the Nizamuddin Markaz or have been to a state or country affected by COVID-19 recently", wrote the Assam Police in its message posted earlier today.

All such individuals are requested to present themselves at the nearest Hospital or PHC by 6 am tomorrow, that is April 7. Conversely, they can also call the 104 helpline number to report, said the Assam Police.

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"If such persons deliberately fail to present themselves by the given deadline, 6 am on April 7, 2020 or inform the authorities, strict legal action will be taken against the concerned individuals, their shelterers or those having knowledge of such travel history have hidden it; under relevant provisions of IPC & Disaster Management Act, 2005.

It may be recalled that earlier in the day, Assam Health & Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the Jamaat attendees must report at the earliest. If not, action will be taken against them, he said.

Speaking on the lines of the Jamaat attendees from the state while addressing the press in Guwahati, Sarma said, “556 attendees have been sourced by the Central Government — 275 have been sourced from local surveillance 831. 50 have not returned and 100 are not related to to Jamaat. The “target” was set at 617, said Sarma.

He added that and 491 samples have been collected so far, and 128 samples are yet to be related. If in case these 128 attendees do not show up by evening on Monday, they will be penalized under relevant sections of the law. Sarma informed that the authorities have held discussions with the leaders of the Markaz who have appealed everyone to come forward and get tested for the COVID-19. He further expressed hope that they all will be tracked down by the evening and their samples will be tested at the earliest.

From tomorrow, the Markaz attendees who come out will be screened, but they will also be punished as there is a provision in the Disaster Management Act under which they will be punished, he said.

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In the same presser, Sarma informed that the Government of Assam, in a bid to step up its fight against the virus, will release a fund of Rs 50 lakh to all the district administrations in the state, so as to be able to fight the virus on a micro level.

“Talking on the lines of protective equipment, Sarma said 3,941 PPE kits, N95 masks number 36,487 and 7,28,022 triple-layer masks are available” Sarma said, a adding that in the evening, 500 more PPE kits will reach the administration.

Assam has so far recorded 26 cases of the novel coronavirus, and 26 of them have links to the Jamaat congregation.

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