'Markaz management deliberately disobeyed orders': Delhi police tells Delhi HC

The Delhi Police today filed a status report before the Delhi HC in the case surrounding the Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz which sparked a massive controversy in the National Capital after thousands of members of the Tablighi Jamaat had congregated at Nizamuddin in March, this year for a religious gathering.

The Status Report filed on behalf of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dr. Joy Tirkey told the Delhi HC that the members of the Tablighi Jamaat “deliberately, willfully and negligently” disobeyed the orders of the Delhi Police regarding large gatherings of over 50 people in the Capital.

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The Status Report says that a meeting took place on March 24 at the Police Station which was attended by members of the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz Management including the Markaz Chief Maulana Saad himself. “However, Maulana Saad and the Markaz Management did not inform the Health Department or any Government Agency about the huge gathering inside the Markaz” the Status Report reads.

Written notices were also issued to the Markaz Management and Maulana Saad, but they refused to pay heed, the Delhi Police alleges. The inspection of the premises also took place on various dates between March 26 and March 30.

The report further states that around 1300 devotees from various states as well as Foreign Countries were found to be residing in the premises without maintaining social distancing norms and without the use of masks, hand sanitisers etc. The report says that “Maulana Saad allowed a huge gathering to assemble inside the closed premises, over a protracted period of time, without any semblance of social distancing or provision of masks and sanitisers and have thereby caused a situation where a highly infectious disease such as Corona Virus infection may spread and threaten the lives of the inmates and the general public at large”.

Over 900 foreign nationals had attended the Markaz gathering on March 30. The participation in the Tablighi Jamaat by these foreign nationals who entered India on Tourist Visas was in violation of the provisions of the Visa Manual, 2019 and their acts made them liable to be prosecuted under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

The Delhi Police goes on to say that no one has been arrested in the case so far. “No one has been detained by the Delhi Police in the case. More than 900 foreign Tablighi Jamaat attendees have joined the investigation of the case, which is being conducted on a day-to-day basis” the report says.

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