Residents of Soanpipri in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district have pledged to help authorities locate those who may have come in contact with six people from nearby villages tested Covid-19 positive after attending a congregation at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Delhi that last month emerged as a hotspot for the disease.
Niyaz Khan, the village head, said they were being looked upon suspiciously after police on April 5 conducted raids in the village to trace the Jamaat followers whom they will help trace as well. “We need to act fast to locate the suspects as well as to get rid of the suspicion,’’ said Khan. He added they have been urging the residents to remain indoors and maintain social distance whenever they really need to go out.
The six residents of Badhara, Kamhariya Bujurg, Bishunpura Kurthia and Eksadwa village have tested positive. District nodal officer KP Singh Baghel said the six have been put in isolation and the villagers who came in contact with them under quarantined.
Similar campaigns have been launched across Uttar Pradesh. In Sonbarsa near Soanpipri, gram pradhan (village head) Sahdev Singh said they have been informed by the district police that over 50 Jamaat members from Nepal visited Delhi to attend the congregation. “Some of them returned while others have taken shelter in nearby villages and towns,” he said
Sonbarsa is located 15 km from the Nepal border, which has been sealed.
{{/usCountry}}Sonbarsa is located 15 km from the Nepal border, which has been sealed.
{{/usCountry}}Residents said they were in regular touch with each other over phones and collecting information about the movement of Jamaat members along the border.
Nepalese journalist Chetan Pant said people in Nepal were also concerned that a number of Jamaat followers who attended the Delhi congregation have been found Covid-19 positive. “An alert has been sounded as several Covid-19 positive cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh villages located along the Nepal border.”
Acting on a tip-off, the Nepal police rounded up 19 people on April 6 from Sunsari town near the border. While nine of them are Pakistani citizens, the rest are from Agra, according to Nepal police.The Nepal police said the Pakistanis had arrived in Nepal from Pakistan while 10 people from Agra in Uttar Pradesh had arrived there after attending the Delhi congregation.
“All [19] have been sent to a quarantine centre,” said Nepal police officer Sagar Thapa.
Bareilly’s Dargah Ala Hazrat on April 6 called upon Muslims to follow lockdown rules strictly and remain confined to their houses amid reports that many Jamaat followers had returned to the district. It last week asked Muslims to offer special Shab-e-Barat prayers for the dead at their homes while advising them against visiting graveyards.
Subhan Raza Khan Subhani of the dargah issued a leaflet in the district urging the people returning to Bareilly to remain quarantined in their houses for 14 days. “If they have any symptoms of Covid-19, they should immediately visit the nearest hospital or contact the local administration. People should not boycott the coronavirus positive people or the families but assist them in fighting the disease,” he said.
Residents in Azamgarh’s Sarai Mir and Mubarakpur towns said they were concerned after police conducted searches on April 8 to locate Jamaat members, who have arrived in the district after attending the Delhi congregation.
Four people from Azamgarh found Covid-19 positive are members of Jamaat, said Mohammad Suleman, a trader.
The district administration has urged the Jamaat members to inform the administration voluntarily about their whereabouts so that they can be quarantined for 14 days. A similar appeal has been made in Rae Bareli, where two Jamaat members have tested positive for the disease.
Acting on a tip-off, police detained two people on April 8 in Jais town after they returned home after attending the Delhi congregation. The samples of both have been sent for testing and the two have been quarantined, according to a district police officer.
A majority of Jamaat followers who attended the event—over 200—have been traced to the Meerut zone. In Agra, as many as 150 people arrived from Jamaat’s Delhi headquarters.
Additional chief secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi said the state police have identified 2,428 Jamaat members in 20 districts who are resident of various states. The health department has quarantined 2,231 of them. As many as 254 Jamaat members have been found Covid-19 positive.