Assam police nab 12 Markaz attendees hiding in different mosques; sent to quarantine

In a move to trace all Nizamuddin Markaz, Assam police on Monday, have nabbed 12 members of the Tablighi Jamaat and sent them to quarantine, as per sources. Sources add that four officials of different mosques - Saheb Ali, Moinul Haque, Mukdan Ali, and Safiur Rahman too were arrested for helping the Markaz attendees, to hide in four mosques in Kamrup. The four members are from Meerut and were reportedly found by the police after a tip-off. Assam has 31 Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases - 28 of which are Markaz attendees, 1 person has died.

Assam seals 'hotspot' at Guwahati mosque where 8 Markaz attendees held congregation of 100

Assam seals first hotspot

Earlier on Friday, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Athgaon Kabristhan Masjid in Guwahati has been sealed for 14 days. He added that the structure was declared as a self-containment zone after 8 Nizamuddin Markaz attendees had stayed there and held a congregation in the Masjid. Assam's first fatality was a 65-year-old retired BSF personnel hailing from Hailakandi district, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, apart from returning from Saudi Arabia.

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Assam govt to file cases against Markaz attendees

Assam government has announced it will start filing cases against all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, who test positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). Sarma informed that the government has zeroed in on 831 attendees from Assam - others are being identified through Mosque Committees. Moreover, Assam had also given a deadline to all Markaz attendees to surrender to the police.

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What is the Nizamuddin COVID-19 scare?

On March 30, sources reported that a religious programme was organised at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters Markaz Nizamuddin mosque between 13-15 March which had over 3400 attendees from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan and from several states in India. After attending the meeting, prior to the nationwide lockdown, 1500 of these attendees returned to several parts of the country, possibly spreading the COVID-19 virus. The mosque has claimed that while they were letting small groups of attendees leave from the venue prior to the Janta Curfew, several were stuck in the area owing to the nationwide lockdown. All 2631 occupants have been evacuated and the building has been sanitised. The Delhi Crime Branch which has booked the Markaz chief Maulana Saad for violating lockdown is currently searching for him by raiding possible hideouts. 

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