Alami Markaz headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat has emerged as the latest COVID-19 hotspot in the country.
The major area Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz in Nizamuddin has been sealed as 24 people tested positive for COVID-19. Alami Markaz turns up as a super spreader of the COVID-19 in the country. On Wednesday, an aggregate of 2,361 people has been evacuated after a 36 hours large scale evacuation exercise from Alami Markaz headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “24 people who were present in the religious congregation at Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz earlier this month have tested positive for coronavirus, while 1,548 have been evacuated and 441 hospitalized after they showed its symptoms.” The Tablighi Jamaat workers have been shifted to Narela, Sultanpuri and Bakkarwala quarantine facilities, as well as to LNJP, RGSS, GTB, DDU Hospitals in Delhi and AllMS, Jhajjar (Haryana). The rest of them are being screened for coronavirus, said Home Ministry.
The operation was carried away by the Delhi government and Delhi Police. After 36 hours of extensive evacuation, the Markaz was cleared at 4 am on Wednesday. “The entire building has been cleared and 617 people, who had symptoms, been hospitalized while the rest have been home quarantined” Deputy Cheif Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Twitter.
The gathering prohibited Delhi’s government order issued on March 13 of gathering not more than 200 people anywhere in the city due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Strict action will be taken against officials who did not act in time against the gathering at Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Nizamuddin. FIR registered against Maulana Saad of the Nizamuddin center under sections of Epidemic Disease Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code for prohibiting government orders on the management of the Markaz concerning a social, political or religious gathering.
In the mid of March, people from various countries assembled for the three-day congregation at Alami Markaz. Around 2,000 Tablighi Jamaat members from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand who entered India on tourist visas emerged to be “potential carriers” of COVID-19. After this, the Union Home Ministry drafted to all the States and Union Territories to identify around 800 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members traveling to different parts of the country and to screen and quarantine them. Amid Centre was circulating information to the States about the Tablighi Jamaat members, the virus had already rolled out in various parts of the country.
Tablighi Jamaat (Society for spreading faith) is a non-political global Sunni Islamic missionary organization with its roots in India.The movement was started in 1927 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi. Tablighi Jamaat focuses on urging Muslims to return to primary Sunni Islam, particularly in matters of rituals, attires, and personal behavior.
The Markaz on Wednesday in a statement said, “they have never violated any provision of law and they have always shown the compassion towards the visitors who came to Delhi from different states. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced “Janta Curfew” on March 22, the ongoing program was shut immediately but a large number of people got stuck there due to the closure of railway services.”
They also added, “when the ‘Janta Curfew’ was about to end, the Delhi Chief Minister announced Delhi lockdown from 6 AM on March 23 till March 31. Therefore there were no chances of the visitors to go home by road.”
On April 1st, the CPRO Northern Railways confirmed that some Tablighi Jamaat workers spit all over the quarantine center. They misbehaved and also abused the staff at the Tughalakabad Quarantine. They even started spitting on the staff attending to them. Also, they made an unreasonable demand for food and started roaming around the hostel building.
“We informed the DM (district magistrate of) South-East Delhi to arrange the necessary security to control them or to shift them to any other suitable place. At 5:30 pm, four Delhi Police constables and six CRPF jawans along with a PCR van have been deployed at the quarantine centers,” Deepak Kumar, CPRO, Northern Railways said.
The negligence of Markaz towards the COVID-19 made the whole country to suffer. In Jammu & Kashmir, 80% of the COVID-19 positive patients are those who attended the Alami Markaz. In Telangana, 50% of cases are linked with the attendees of Markaz.
In the last 24 hours because of this negligence of Markaz, the country records highest COVID-19 positive cases.
Some attendees of Markaz are still untraceable though they are not coming forward to report themselves on their own. The situation of the country is getting worst because of this.
In the last 24 hours, the country has reported 437 new cases. The COVID-19 patients in India rose to 1,834 on Wednesday night and the death toll rose to 41. Also, 143 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals.
The act of stupidity by such people is making the whole scenario even more worst. The government is trying its level best to control the situation. Our front line heroes are working day and night for the people of India. The whole country has to come together to fight the coronavirus, keeping aside their religions.