Tablighi Jamaat is a religious community of orthodox believers that propagate Islamic belief and religion. These members of the Islamic religious group assembled at ‘Markaz’ in Nizamuddin, Delhi in March 2020 and after that many cases of coronavirus have been reported and Nizamuddin became a hotspot in the city. After the meeting, many of these pilgrims had been reported to return to several parts of the country and possibly further spreading the virus.
On May 28, The Ministry of Home Affairs blacklisted majority of the foreign Tablighi Jamaat members who were staying in India amidst the coronavirus lockdown in violation of the visa rules and would not be allowed to enter the country for 10 years, according to sources. As of now, 47 charge sheets have been filed against 915 foreign nationals in the case.
MHA also told the Supreme court on Friday that a Central Bureau of Investigation was not required in the event, as the Delhi Police Crime Branch was already in a progressive state in the matter.
MHA also rejects any claims that there was no negligence or delay of Delhi Police in dealing with this issue. “Markaz themselves were informed of the lockdown situation on 21st March itself and were told to send foreign and domestic members back to their respective homes but they did not pay attention. A sound recording by Maulana Mohd Saad, who is the head of Tablighi Jamaat is also found doing rounds on social media in which he is asking his followers to disobey the lockdown rules and to attend the religious gathering.”
The Delhi Police has already filed multiple charges against Tablighi Jamaat members and on its chief Maulana Mohd Saad. In March, the authorities raided the Markaz association in Nizamuddin, Delhi and allegedly evacuated more than 3,000 people who were staying there for the purpose of a religious congregation.
According to Delhi Police after being uncovered to this large gathering in the midst of the pandemic, numerous individuals of Tablighi Jamaat from Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin were taken out by authorities and held in several quarantine centres in Delhi.
In April, COVID-19 cases spiked around the world after hundreds of several Tablighi Jamaat leaders who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz religious congregation tested positive.
Among thousands of people who had assembled at Markaz, over 500 individuals were from other nations, including from Indonesia and Malaysia and were also reported to be positive after being tested.
