Rohingya back on MHA radar, this time over Covid-19 infection from Tablighi

Covid-19: In a message to all state police chiefs, the Home Ministry on Thursday said there were multiple reports about contacts between the Rohingya and the Tablighi Jamaat workers from parts of the country.

The Union home ministry has told all states to track down Rohingya reportedly over concerns that many of them attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz or had come in contact with them.

The MHA has told the states that “Rohingya Muslims and their contacts need to be screened for Covid-19. Accordingly, necessary measures may be taken in this regard on priority”. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

In a message to all state police chiefs, the Home Ministry on Thursday said there were multiple reports about contacts between the Rohingya and the Tablighi Jamaat workers from parts of the country.

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation at its central Delhi headquarters has been the country’s biggest Covid-19 hotspot. In Delhi, over a 1,000 people - either evacuated or their contacts -- have tested positive to the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen that causes the coronavirus disease.

Across the country, nearly 26,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts were placed under quarantine at state-run facilities when the Islamic religious sect finally allowed authorities last month to evacuate its followers.

In a letter sent to all state chief secretaries, Director Generals of Police and Delhi Police Commissioner, reviewed by HT, the MHA told the states that “Rohingya Muslims and their contacts need to be screened for Covid-19. Accordingly, necessary measures may be taken in this regard on priority”.

“It has been reported that Rohingya Muslims have attended ‘ijltemas’ (largest annual Islamic congregation organized by Tablighi Jamaat – March 13 to 15) and other religious congregations of Tablighi Jamaat and there is a possibility of their contradicting Covid-19.”

The ministry wants the states to trace Rohingya who attended the Tablighi Jamaat activities as well as their contacts on “priority”.

“Rohingyas residing in camps in Hyderabad, Telangana had attended Tablighi Jamaat ijtema at Mewat, Haryana and had visited Nizamuddin Markaz at New Delhi.

Similarly, Rohingyas living in Shram Vihar, Shaheen Bagh, Delhi who had gone for TJ activities, have not returned to their camps,” the home ministry communication said.

It added that the “presence of Rohingya Muslims after attending Tablighi Jamaat work” has also been reported from Derabassi, Punjab and Jammu area.

According to an estimate by the government, there are around 40,000 Rohingyas in camps alone across several states in India. Only about 17,500 of them are registered as refugees with the office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The government has repeatedly insisted that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants, even those registered with the UN refugee agency, and would be deported.

India is not a signatory to the international accord on refugees.

India has deported a couple of groups of Rohingya. But the Supreme Court is still hearing a petition that challenged this approach. Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the Supreme Court to stop hearings, a UN Special Rapporteur had, in January, asked the court to let her assist the court.