COVID-19: FIR registered against Tablighi Maulana, others for violation of govt order

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 31

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The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Maulana Saad and others of Tablighi Jamaat for violation of government order issued in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

The case was filed under three sections of Epidemic Disease Act 1897– Section 269, 270, 271, and 120-B of Indian Penal Code (IPC) — for violation of directions given to the management of Markaz of Basti Nizamuddin, police sources said.

The action against Maulana apparently came after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had yesterday ordered the registration of an FIR against him for leading the congregation that led to several people, who attended it, to show symptoms of coronavirus.

The order was issued for restriction of social/political/religious gathering and for taking safety measures, including social distancing, for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection.

Meanwhile, Markaz Nizamuddin of Tablighi Jamaat in a statement claimed that turn of events was so sudden that it could not manage to vacate the premises.

It said in a statement that people from across the globe and the country come to it for 3-5 days and all programmes are decided a year in advance in order to facilitate visitors from far-off places to plan their participation.

“When honourable prime minister announced the ‘Janata curfew’, for 22 March, the ongoing programme in Markaz Nizamuddin was discontinued immediately, however, due to sudden cancelation of rail services across the country on 21 March, a large group of visitors who had to depart by way of railways got stuck in the Markaz premises,” it clarified.

“Before the Janata curfew could be lifted at 9 pm, the honourable chief minister of Delhi announced lockdown of Delhi beginning at 6 am on 23 March till 31 March, thereby further diminishing any chances of these visitors availing road transport for their journey back home,” it said adding that despite this challenging situation, with the help of Markaz administration, around fifteen hundred visitors left Markaz Nizamuddin by availing whatever meagre transport was available.

Markaz Nizamuddin would like to humbly offer the entire premises as a quarantine facility to help the authorities tide-over the challenge of current pandemic, it said.