Tablighi missionaries: Haryana police book 106 foreign nationals for visa violations
Are nationals of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal and Thailand
The Haryana police have traced 1,305 Tablighi Jamaat workers of which 106 are foreigners from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal and Thailand. The police have booked all foreigners for visa violations under provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Nuh district in Mewat area, close to the national capital, emerged as the hotbed for the Tablighi missionaries as 636 workers including 57 foreigners and 528 from other states were traced in the district alone.
Director-general of police Manoj Yadava said most of 1,305 were immediately placed under quarantine in various centers established by the district administration.
“There are 587 Tablighi Jamaat workers among 1,305 who admitted having visited Banglewali Masjid located in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi, also known as Markaz. After testing eight persons, three each from Palwal and Nuh and two from Ambala, have tested positive for Covid-19 so far,’’ the DGP said.
Probe underway against foreigners
In response to a question of whether the 106 foreigners against whom FIRs were registered in five districts can be charged under abetment under Section 14-C of the Foreigners Act, the DGP said investigations against them were underway. Yadava added that by promptly tracking these high-risk individuals, getting them medically checked and lodging them into quarantine facilities has significantly contained the threat of the spread of coronavirus disease. The DGP said the 106 foreigners were traced from five districts— Faridabad (28), Ambala (9), Panipat (2), Palwal (10) and Nuh (57). All of them have been placed under quarantine and their passports have been seized by the police,’’ he said.
Only 266 were from Haryana
The data shows that 933 Tablighi Jamaat workers belonged to Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Bihar and came to Haryana for Tabligh-related work. Only 266 Tablighis belonged to Haryana. They had visited different states and had returned during the last 10 days to their villages. Since they are also potential carriers of coronavirus, they have also been placed under quarantine. They mostly belonged to districts of Gurugram, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Nuh, Sonepat, Jind and Palwal.
MHA advised legal action against foreign Tablighis
The Union ministry for home affairs (MHA) in a communication to the police authorities has advised that legal action against foreign and Indian nationals involved in Tablighi Jamaat activities should be taken under the provisions of the Foreigners Act as well for violation of statutory orders issued under the Disaster Management Act and for offences committed under the IPC. “Their Tablighi activities have endangered many lives amid Covid-19 public health emergency. They have violated the provisions of Visa Manual, 2019 and are also liable under Sections 13 and 14 of the Foreigners Act,’’ said an April 2 communication sent by the MHA’s foreigners division.
12 more Nizamuddin event attendees test positive
A day after 94 people, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin last month and were referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Jhajjar’s Badsa tested positive, reports of 12 more such people on Friday confirmed the disease, nodal officer for Covid-19 at the hospital said.
Total 120 such attendees were referred to Jhajjar AIIMS from Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi on Tuesday. “Reports of two persons are still awaited. Of 120 people, 12 have tested negative so far,” said one of the doctors.