2,361 evacuated from Delhi Tablighi centre; quarantined people’s movement tracked: Kejriwal
Even as the authorities have cleared Tablighi’s Nizamuddin headquarters and evacuated 2,361 people in 36 hours till Wednesday evening, Nizamuddin Markaz cleric Maulana Saad has been untraceable since March 28 after he was served a notice by the Delhi Police.
“Police teams are raiding several places across the western Uttar Pradesh and Mewat region in Haryana to nab Saad,” said a senior police official.
Police have also recovered an audio clip in which Saad can be heard saying there is no better place to die than in a mosque. The audio clip is believed to be of March 18. “Leaving mosques would bring no good. Do not leave mosques even if trusted doctors ask you to,” said Saad in the audio clip.
On Tuesday, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against seven people, including Saad, Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, M Saifi, Younus, Mohammed Salman and Mohammed Ashraf.
The police have registered the FIR under sections of the Epidemic Disease Act and other sections of the IPC, for not following Government orders on the management of the Markaz in relation to a social, political or religious gathering and thus endangering the lives of the people.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said authorities are tracking mobile phones of people under quarantine to check their movement.
Tablighis, including foreigners from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, Fiji, France and Kuwait, had assembled at Nizamuddin Markaz, which is among the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, to participate in religious congregation from March 1 to 18.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the premises have been vacated after a 36-hour effort by the concerned agencies.
“The staff of health, administration, police and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) worked together in this 36-hour operation, putting their lives at risk. Hats off to all of them,” Sisodia said in a tweet. The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 152 on Wednesday.
Sisodia further said a list has been prepared in which the phone number and other details of these people were noted and handed over to the Delhi Police cyber cell for further action.
“The police will trace their movements’ history. With the help of their mobile phones details, police can easily find out that how many people have come to their contact and police can easily find out their whereabouts,” said Sisodia.
He appealed to the people, who came to Nizamuddin West to participate in the Markaz in March to contact administration without any further delay and surrender to the local medical facilities immediately so that they can go through a proper medical checkup.
“I request all people who came here for Markaz to corporate with the police and local administration. If you will create any trouble for local police and administration and not voluntary disclose about you and later if it emerged that you are infected and hiding your diseases, then a strict action will be taken against you,” said Sisodai.