Its shocking to learn that despite lockdown more than 2,000 people were staying at "Markaz Nizamuddin", the Delhi headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat group, for weeks.
As a result of which, more than 300 were moved to hospitals with symptoms of the highly contagious virus. Now the Markaz Nizamuddin has been sealed and 700 people moved out in buses are quarantined in different parts of the city.
The news of this congregation has sent shock waves across the country.A police case has been filed against the mosque administration and officials across the country are searching for hundreds of people who attended the Delhi event.
The congregation - part of a 20th Century Islamic movement called Tablighi Jamaat - began at the end of February, but some of the main events were held in early March. It is not clear if the event was ticketed or even if the organizers maintained a roster of visitors as people attended the event throughout, with some staying on and others leaving. Even overseas visitors, some of them preachers, traveled to other parts of the country where they stayed in local mosques and met people.
A reports say, at least, six regions of 19 states have reported cases that can be directly traced to the days-long congregation at a mosque. It is believed that the infections were caused by preachers who attended the event from Indonesia.
The Nizamuddin - the locality where the mosque is located - has been cordoned off and more than 35 buses carrying people to hospitals or quarantine centers.
Telangana reported on Sunday night that six people who had attended the event died from the virus. The state's medical officer told the media that more than 40 of Telangana's 71 cases were either directly or indirectly linked to the event.
Jammu & Kashmir reported its first death from the virus last week - a 65-year-old who had been in Delhi for the congregation. Officials say that more than 40 of the region's 48 cases could be traced back to that one patient.
Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have said more than 3,000 people from their states had attended the event.Tamil Nadu has traced 16 positive patients to it.
The organizers claim that they informed the local police about all of this and continued to cooperate with medical officers who came to inspect the premises.
It may be recalled that Tablighi Jamaat events have been blamed for spreading coronavirus in Indonesia and Malaysia.And in South Korea, many positive cases were linked to the Schincheonji church, a secretive religious sect, that has since apologised for its role in the outbreak.
This congregation has nullified the whatever effects were there from lockdown. Its a big lapse on the part of concerned authorities and nation will have to pay heavy price.
(Chander Sharma With Inputs From Net)
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