57 Jamaatis get back passports in Nuh

Gurugram, July 18

Following the orders of the sessions court, Nuh, the local police today returned 57 passports of foreign Tablighi Jamaatis to travel back to their homes.

Hailing from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, these Jamaatis were booked by the Haryana Police for alleged malignant acts likely to spread Covid during the lockdown in March. The trial court and the sessions court upheld that none of the Jamaatis knew they were infected or threatening others.

“I am relieved that finally, we will be going back. The last three months were like hell where we were seen as culprits for a crime we never committed. It is shocking that while Covid was spread by many groups be it NRIs, Nanded returnees or inter-state travellers, we were treated the worst. Yes, they are sending us back but the humiliation and the defamation we faced here cannot be compensated,” said an Indonesian national on the condition of anonymity.

The court of Additional Sessions judge, Mewat, Prashant Rana in its July 6 order said none of the accused knew that they had Covid infection.

“Their tests were done after the registration of the FIR. Offences under Sections 269 and 270 of the IPC were added merely on the basis of apprehensions and imaginations of the investigating officer,” the court said.

The judge held that all foreigners had valid passports and they should be returned to parent nations safely. — TNS