Nizamuddin congregation: Delhi CM Kejriwal orders FIR against Maulana of Markaz as several people show coronavirus COVID-19 symptoms

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (March 30) ordered the registration of an FIR against a Maulana of Markaz in connection with Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in West Nizamuddin in South Delhi after several people who attended it showed symptoms of coronavirus COVID-19.

A Delhi Police team, including Joint CP DC Srivastava, today reached the Nizamuddin area where some people have shown symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in a religious gathering at the Markaz. Those who have shown symptoms have been shifted to different hospitals in buses for check-up.

The Police cordoned off some areas by placing barricades and are monitoring the movement of people through drones. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team also reached the spot to supervise and monitor people.

"The health department has said that the area will be disinfected and police will provide every possible help in this process. The civil department is taking care of the situation here," a police official told ANI.

According to reports, the Delhi government will launch a house-to-house mapping exercise in two nearby colonies on Tuesday to check for coronavirus cases.

Issuing a statement, Delhi government today said "Lockdown was imposed in entire India on 24th March and it was the duty of every owner and administrator of every hotel, guesthouse, hostel and similar establishment to maintain social distancing. It looks like social distancing and quarantine protocols was not practiced here."

"
Now it has come to our knowledge that the administrators violated these conditions and several cases of corona positive patients have been found here. Strong action would be taken against those in charge of this establishment."

"By this gross act of negligence many lives have been endangered. It was the responsibility of every citizen to proactively avoid such gathering of people during the lockdown and this is nothing but a criminal act.
 After the centre informed us about the first positive patient and requested assistance we moved all symptomatic patients to our medical facilities and as a safety precaution all non-symptomatic contacts have been moved to the quarantine centres," the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Dr Mohd Shoaib, Spokesperson, Nizamuddin Markaz, said that they had provided a list of people who had any health issue, including cold and fever, to the administration. "Yesterday, we provided a list of names to the administration, who had any health issue, including cold and fever. Some of them have been admitted to the hospital on the basis of age and travel history. We don`t have any confirmed COVID-19 case till now," he said.

Over 2,000 Muslim delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 1-15, officials said, as the south Delhi neighbourhood was virtually sealed following fears that some people may have contracted COVID-19.

Notably, around 300-400 people had attended a religious gathering at Markaz and 163 people from Nizamuddin, likely to be infected with COVID-19, have been admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital in the capital.