Bihar: 11 foreign national attendees of Tablighi Jamaat arrested for violating visa norms

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, 11 foreign nationals who were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi have been arrested on Wednesday in Bihar. According to reports, the police have registered a case against them for violating the visa rules in Buxar, Bihar. The arrested accused are reportedly from Indonesia and Malaysia. 

According to Superintendent of Police Upendra Nath Verma, the foreign nationals were kept in quarantine; however, their tests did not reveal any signs of infection. Meanwhile, earlier on Wednesday, an FIR was registered against nine Bangladeshi nationals in Samastipur district for allegedly misusing their travel visa by being involved in religious preachings under Tablighi Jamaat and for violating lockdown restrictions. 

Currently, in Bihar, there are 72 positive cases of Coronavirus, out of which 29 people have been reportedly recovered and one person has been reported to be dead due to the virus. The congregation in Delhi has become the epicenter of spreading of the Coronavirus across the country. 

What is the Nizamuddin case?

A religious program was organised at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters Markaz Nizamuddin mosque between 13-15 March which was attended by over three thousand people, from India and abroad, who since dispersed. After attending the meeting, which took place prior to the nationwide lockdown but after the Delhi government's own directive against such gatherings, many of the attendees returned to other parts of the country, with the spread of the COVID-19 virus now being confirmed from numerous states as a result.

Read: Fact Check: Are COVID-19 patients being segregated on religious lines in Gujarat hospital?

A case was registered by the Delhi Police against Maulana Saad and other officials of Tablighi Jamaat for violating the restriction pertaining to a religious gathering. Sections under the Epidemic Disease Act,1897 and Sections 269, 270, 271 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code were invoked.

Read: 2 relatives of Tablighi Jamaat chief test positive for COVID-19 in UP's Saharanpur

COVID-19 in India 

According to the latest update of the Union Health Ministry, a total of 11,933 cases of Coronavirus in the country had been reported, including about 10,197 active cases. While 392 deaths have been reported overall, around 1,344 people have been cured/discharged/migrated.

Read: Migrants living under flyover near Yamuna to be moved to Delhi govt shelter: Kejriwal

Read: Health Min Harsh Vardhan lauds India's COVID response; aims 1 lakh tests daily by May end

(With ANI Inputs)