The Hyderabad Police on the 13th of April, filed a case against Ikram Ali, the President of the Telangana Tablighi Jamaat, for giving shelter to the Tablighi Jamaat returnees from Delhi.
After the recent Tablighi Jamaat Congregation, organised between 13th to 16th of March at Markaz Mosque, Nizamuddin Delhi, all state governments were on alert for the returnees.
Approximately 1,200 citizens of Telangana took part in the Delhi Tablighi Jamaat, which was also the epicentre of the spread of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 infection in India.
As many as 40 % of the infected patients in India are the ones who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat of Delhi.
In Telangana, 85 % of the active cases are linked to the Nizamuddin returnees. Etela Rajender, the Health Minister of Telangana said, “Of all the positive cases reported in Telangana, 85 per cent of cases are linked to Nizamuddin Markaz.” He further added, “If they are cured then the positive cases will decrease in the State and measures can be taken to ensure that infection doesn’t spread further.”
Till date, Telangana reported a total of 531 positive cases of COVID-19 infection and 16 deaths. In regard to the increasing number, K. Chandrashekar Rao, the Chief Minister of Telangana, announced an extension of the ongoing lockdown till the 30th of April.
Speaking about today’s incident, the Habib Nagar police station registered a case against Ikram Ali and 10 others for providing shelter to a few Delhi Tablighi Jamaat returnees, without any medical tests for COVID-19. The case was registered under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897. However, Ikram Ali denied the allegations and said he did not violate any rule imposed during the lockdown and did not give shelter to any returnees.
The case is under investigation.
Stay tuned for further updates about COVID-19.
