Tabligi Jamaat Spread: Admn intensifies drive to trace participants

Criminal proceedings against 10 Tabligi activists for hiding travel history; sent to quarantine centres

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We had set deadline for them to reveal their travel history. Now, the campaign to track Tabligi Jamaat activists has been intensified and criminal proceedings will be started against those who are traced. Special teams have been constituted to trace these suspects — A senior police officer

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 1

The Union Territory Administration of J&K has intensified the campaign to track activists of Tabligi Jamaat who have attended congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi.

After raids in different areas, the police have traced 10 Tabligi Jamaat activists and sent them to quarantine centres. Seven such activists were traced from Kathua and three from Jammu district.

Sources said the authorities had already started criminal proceedings against these Tabligi activists for concealing their travel history and mingling with the people.

“We had set deadline for them to reveal their travel history. Now, the campaign to track Tabligi Jamaat activists has been intensified and criminal proceedings will be started against those who are traced”, a senior police officer said, adding, “ special teams have been constituted to trace these suspects”

The sources said the authorities had already prepared a list of 850 Covid suspects, who directly or indirectly came in contact with the people after attending the Nizamuddin congregation. After preparing the list, teams have been deputed to trace all suspects.

On Monday evening, the administration had sealed the Bhatindi, Sunjwan and Gujjar Nagar areas of Jammu city after getting inputs that some Tabilgi Jamaat activists had visited these areas and mingled with locals. Similarly, the Hyderpura and Lakarmandi areas were also sealed by the authorities.

Five villages of the Manjakot tehsil of Rajouri district — Sarola, Dehridhara, Mangal Nar, Gambir Muglan and Kotli — have already declared as “red zones” after some cases in this belt tested positive. Those tested positive have a history of contact with the previous positive cases.

One of the Covid cases found positive in Kashmir last week died after being hospitalised. He had reportedly attended the Nizamuddin congregation. Before returning to Srinagar, he held congregations in Sopore, Bandipora, Samba and Jammu districts.

It is suspected that during these meetings he is reported to have come in contact with many people in various places in Jammu division.