MHA directs states to screen Rohingyas for COVID, says they attended Nizamuddin meet

In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Home Ministry on Saturday has asked all states and Union Territories to screen Rohingyas living in their jurisdiction for COVID-19. The MHA states that the step is being taken as many of them had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, which was declared as a COVID hotspot. As per health ministry, Markaz related cases account for 30% of total cases in the country. 

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In a communication to Chief Secretaries and DGPs, the ministry said there have been reports that several Rohingya Muslims have attended 'Ijtemas' and other religious congregations of Tablighi Jamaat and there is a possibility of their contracting COVID-19. The ministry added that the Rohingyas residing in camps in Hyderabad had attended Tablighi Jamaat 'Ijtema' at Haryana's Mewat, and had also attended the meet at national capital's Nizamuddin.

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Who are Rohingyas?

Rohingyas are an ethnic minority in Myanmar residing in the Rakhine state of the country. While most of the Rohingyas are Muslims, very few are also Hindus. The Buddhist majority nation of Myanmar claims that Rohingyas are residents of Bangladesh and have denied them citizenship rights since 1962. Moreover, the army has been accused of torturing the Rohingyas, with the UN calling 'genocide' attempts of Myanmar army a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing.'

In August 2017, a Rohingya militant group called Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility of attacking police and army posts. This prompted action from the Myanmar army, which declared ARSA as a terrorist organisation and allegedly started a brutal campaign in Rakhine state, burning their houses, forcing almost seven hundred thousand Rohingya to leave the country. It was then that the Rohingyas slipped into neighbouring Bangladesh, India and few other countries to seek refuge. 

The Indian government has, however, ordered to deport Rohingyas as they are illegal migrants. The Supreme Court too had on September 2018, deferred a plea filed by two Rohingya refugees challenging Centre's decision to deport them. As per reports, there are approximately 40,000 Rohingyas in India.

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Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin

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. As the incident came into light on March 30, the tracing operation began across the nation, while coronavirus cases related to people who attended the congregation started coming up. The Delhi Crime Branch booked Markaz chief Maulana Saad for violating lockdown and charged him of culpable homicide. Saad urged all attendees to cooperate with Police and health workers and in a recent development, has joined the investigation process on Friday.

The Health Ministry, meanwhile, stated that over 30% of the total COVID-19 cases in India were related to the Markaz. Several states like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Assam, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh have cases majorly due to attendees of the event and the people they came in contact with. Most of the above-mentioned states have traced the attendees, but those attendees in hiding have been warned of legal action if they don't surrender. India's current COVID-19 tally is at 13,835 cases at 452 deaths.

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