35 Charge sheets against 376 foreign members of Tablighi Jamaat Filed.
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| Tablighi-Jamaat |
Police had also registered a case against Maulana Muhammad
Saad Kandhalvi, head of the Tablighi Jamaat in India. However, no arrests were
made. Police have filed 35 charge sheets against 376 foreign
members of the Tablighi Jamaat from 34 countries.
Eighty-two people from 20 countries have been charged for the first time, and 294 people from 14 countries have been charged for the second time.
The members of the Tablighi Jamaat are accused of violating visa rules, guidelines issued in view of the Coronavirus. The Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, and the restraining order. They are also charged under other provisions. The government has revoked the visas of these members and blacklisted them. However, no arrests have been made so far.
Among the prosecuted, 294 are from Malaysia, Thailand,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and several other African countries. While out
of 82, four are from Afghanistan, seven
from Brazil and China, five from the
United States, two each from Australia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, United Kingdom,
while one each from Ukraine, Egypt, Russia, Jordan, France, Tunisia and Belgium
and eight each from Algeria. There are ten from Saudi Arabia, 14 from Fiji, and six from
Sudan and the Philippines.
The matter will be heard on June 12.
The indictment states that the men came on tourist visas but attended religious ceremonies. The charges under which they are indicted can range from six months to eight years in prison. The said members of the Tablighi Jamaat had attended a gathering at the Tablighi Jamaat center in the Nizamuddin area of New Delhi in March, many of whom had tested positive.
The indictment states that the men came on tourist visas but attended religious ceremonies. The charges under which they are indicted can range from six months to eight years in prison. The said members of the Tablighi Jamaat had attended a gathering at the Tablighi Jamaat center in the Nizamuddin area of New Delhi in March, many of whom had tested positive.
Tablighi Jamaat lawyer Fazal Ayubi told VOA that in a similar case, the Faridabad and Mayawati courts in Haryana did not recognize the provisions violating visa rules. Therefore, it is hoped that the court will grant relief to these members and allow them to return home
.
Fazal Ayoubi said that those who come for preaching come in
the same way. They come only on a tourist visa and tell at the immigration
counter that they will go to the center of Tablighi Jamaat.
Fazal Ayoubi added that according to the visa rules, people
who come from outside could not preach, but they can participate in preaching
programs, and they can go to other places.
Therefore, it is wrong to say that they preached. However, they participated in preaching programs which are allowed as they come to learn, not to teach.
Meanwhile, police alleges that the nationals and foreigners who had attended the gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat were instrumental in spreading corona in the country. Police say the Tablighi Ijtema, which began on March 3, did not end even after the government announced a March 24 lockdown in the country.
The gathering is said to be responsible for spreading the corona to more than a thousand people in 17 states of the country. The virus is thought to have been spread by foreign participants in the gathering.
On the other hand,
Tablighi Jamaat has denied the allegations of the police. Their position
is that immediately after the announcement of a one-day nationwide curfew by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 22, they ended the gathering and asked
all the participants to return to their homes.
The organizers of the rally said that many people had
returned, but many were trapped there as the next day, various states started
closing their borders. Two days later, the entire country was locked down, and
buses and trains were shut down. The organizers also said that they had informed the police
about the situation and with the full cooperation of the medical staff had
helped them to come to the mosque and inspect the place.
Many of the thousands of members who attended the gathering
on behalf of the Tablighi Jamaat had gone home, and vehicles were arranged to
send the remaining ones. Police then evacuated hundreds of members and sent them to
separate quarantine centers.
The situation in India became tense after allegations were
leveled against members of the Tablighi Jamaat. Hindu-Muslim riots also took
place in some areas. Many of the members of the Tablighi Jamaat who were kept in
quarantine centers were allowed to go home a month later instead of 14 days.
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