Nizamuddin Covid scare: Search for Maulana Saad on; NSA's intervention preceded evacuation

In a big revelation on Wednesday, sources said that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had on March 28 intervened and spoke to the Nizamuddin Markaz Chief, after which those who remained after the Tabliqi Jamaat's congregation were evacuated.  As per sources, Maulana Saad, chief of the Markaz, received a Police Notice on March 28 after which he fled and continues to remain untraceable. Delhi Police sources said that raids are being conducted at his possible hideouts. Police also added that he it has been communicated to him to undergo a medical examination as he is a suspect for the Coronavirus, as are all the attendees of the meeting. 

40 Nizamuddin Markaz Attendees Traced In Haryana; 4 Test Positive, Rest Quarantined

On Tuesday evening, Republic TV had accessed a tape in which the chief of Tabliqi Jamaat Maulana Saad at Delhi’s Nizamuddin Dargah allegedly urged Muslims to defy lockdown and come out to pray together to break the COVID-19 “curse”.  While the voice in the audio clip has not been verified as Saad’s, he urged that if 70,000 lives have been claimed by this pandemic, doctors will not be able to stop it. He termed the pandemic as a 'conspiracy to separate Muslims and make them untouchable' but also added that those who have been detected with Coronavirus have to be quarantined.

Among those who attended the Markaz event, Telangana reported 15 new COVID-19 positive cases and six people from the state died. 4 cases from Andhra Pradesh were reported. Thirty-four from Noida have been home quarantined as a precautionary measure, several people in Jaunpur, Maharashtra's Pune have also been quarantined. Seven from Shillong Markkaz who attended are missing. Others are being traced in different parts of the country, with numbers of confirmed Coronavirus infections arising from the meeting increasing by the hour.

17 New COVID-19 Cases In AP, Govt Says Majority Share Links With Markaz Nizamuddin Event

What is the Nizamuddin COVID-19 scare?

A religious program was organized at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters Markaz Nizamuddin mosque between 13-15 March which was attended by over three thousand people, from India and abroad, who since dispersed. After attending the meeting, which took place prior to the nationwide lockdown but after the Delhi government's own directive against such gatherings, many of the attendees returned to other parts of the country, with the spread of the COVID-19 virus now being confirmed from numerous states as a result.

Nizamuddin Markaz: Delhi Police files FIR against Maulana Saad, others of Tablighi Jamaat

A case was registered by the Delhi Police against Maulana Saad and other officials of Tablighi Jamaat for violating the restriction pertaining to religious gatherings. Sections under the Epidemic Disease Act,1897 and Section 269, 270, 271 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code have been invoked. In the FIR, it has been stated that the congregation failed to take safety measures for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. 

The mosque has claimed that while they were letting small groups of attendees leave from the venue prior to the Janta Curfew, several were stuck in the area – which has now been entirely quarantined – owing to the nationwide lockdown. Regardless, Delhi DyCM Sisodia has confirmed that over a thousand attendees have been tracked down, and over 600 have shown symptoms, indicating the scope of the threat.

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