400 Jamaat members deported in one week

Between February and March, at least 2,000 Tablighi Jamaat members from different countries had attended a gathering at the markaz in Nizamuddin.

At least 400 members of Tablighi Jamaat, who had attended a congregation at the markaz in south Delhi’s Nizamuddin in mid-March and were detained after their headquarters turned into a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hot spot, have been deported to their home countries over the past one week.

Tablighi Jamaat members seen inside a DTC bus upon their arrival in Old Delhi Railway Station to board a train to Tamil Nadu after completing their quarantine period amid the lockdown, in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Officials from the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport said the 400 attendees were sent to Indonesia, Malaysia and to some European countries in around 10 flights.

Between February and March, at least 2,000 Tablighi Jamaat members from different countries had attended a gathering at the markaz in Nizamuddin.

According to an official from the airport, who wished not to be named, the process of sending Tabhligi Jamaat members back started on July 17.

“The first flight of deportees departed Delhi on July 17. As and when the courts keep releasing them through plea bargaining, and when the police return their passports, they will be sent back to their countries,” the official said.

The official said these Tabhligi Jamaat members have been blacklisted and they will not be allowed to enter India in future.

Ashima Mandla, legal counsel for the Tabhligi Jamaat foreign nationals, said the procedure for their deportation has posed unforeseen hurdles.