Delhi police on Tuesday registered a case against Maulana Md Saad and others of the Tablighi Jamaat for organising a religious congregation at Nizamuddin earlier this month and violating government directives on restrictions on gatherings.

The move came a day after the Telangana government said six people from the state who attended the congregation had died of the coronavirus infection and amid fears that the southeast Delhi locality would emerge as the centre of a cluster outbreak.

“A case has been filed under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for violation of government directions,” said an official of Delhi police, which report to the Centre.

Kejriwal had on Monday urged Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal to direct the police to file an FIR on a complaint against the Markaz given by the Delhi government.

Nearly 2,000 people, including some from Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, had participated in the March 13-15 congregation, when the Covid-19 lockdown had not been announced yet.

The Markaz — the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat — denied any wrongdoing. It issued a statement clarifying that it had informed Delhi police and officials of the Arvind Kejriwal government about the three-day meet.

On March 13, however, Delhi’s health secretary, Padmini Singla had prohibited gatherings of more than 200 people under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

At a media conference on Tuesday, Kejriwal said: “I have heard that around March 12-13, many from India and abroad had gathered at the Markaz for some religious function. After the religious function, some left and many stayed back.”

He added: “It is the time of Navratras, we don’t see people gathering anywhere. Otherwise, at this time, how many would gather at temples. Gurdwaras are all closed, no one is gathering in mosques, people are offering namaz within their homes. Mecca and the Vatican are empty. In such circumstances, doing such a gathering is absolutely wrong….”

Maulana Saad, of Banglewali Masjid, said he had requested the Delhi government and Delhi police last week to make arrangements for the participants to return to where they came from.

“It is requested that due to the lockdown and non-availability of transport, approximately 1000-1200 Tableeghi Jamaat workers have stranded inside the Markaz,” the maulana said in the letter.

“There is a conspiracy to malign and defame us and make the humanitarian and medical crisis into a communal and religious issue. The religious congregation was held from March 13 to 15 and not during the ongoing lockdown period and it was organised with due permission of the police and the local government. Why did the police not ban the programme even though the spectre of the coronavirus loomed large,” he told The Telegraph.

Nizamuddin police station is barely 300 metres from the Markaz.

The Jamaat shared copies of the communication with the police and the state government officials concerned as proof that it had informed the authorities.

Navaid Hameed, president of the India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of Muslim organisations, said: “Why did the government issue visas to the foreigners to attend the function. Why did officials not subject the foreigners to any medical check-up and quarantine them at the airport. It is certain that if the foreign invitees to the congregation were screened and tested at the airport, then the coronavirus could have been detected. Is this not criminal negligence on the part of the government?”

The Union home ministry in a statement did not touch upon the issues raised by the Jamaat.

The ministry on Tuesday evening said it had shared details of foreign and Indian Tablighi Jamaat workers in India with all states on March 21 after Covid-19 cases among those workers surfaced in Telangana.

“The swift action was taken with a view to identify, isolate, and quarantine Tablighi Jamaat workers who might be COVID-19 positive...,” the statement said.

CROWD OF COVIDIOTS

Social media users pointed out that several religious and other gatherings were held since mid-March but the Tablighi Jamaat had been singled out to malign an entire community. The list matches reported events

⦿ March 13: Union health ministry officials said coronavirus was not a health emergency although WHO had declared it a pandemic.

⦿ March 13: Delhi’s health secretary Padmini Singla prohibited gatherings of over 200 people under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

⦿ March 13: The Nizamuddin Markaz congregation started with nearly 2,000 participants.

⦿ March 14: The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha organised a “Gaumutra party” to cure the virus.

⦿ March 17: Devotees gathered in large numbers at Shirdi Saibaba Temple in Maharashtra for last aarti before temple is shut for coronavirus.

⦿ March 20: Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who arrived from London on March 10, tested positive for coronavirus. Between March 15 and March 17, she attended at least three parties. Politicians from the ruling BJP also attended these parties.

⦿ March 21: A sea of devotees gathered for the Arattu festival in Thiruvananthapuram’s Malayinkeezhu Sree Krishna Swami Temple

⦿ March 22: During the Janata Curfew, a large number of Indians gathered in several parts of the country between 5pm and 6pm to applaud healthcare workers, responding to the Prime Minister’s call to beat thaalis, ring bells and clap.

⦿ March 24: The Prime Minister announced a countrywide lockdown, with only essential services exempt and everyone else told to stay at home

⦿ March 25: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and a crowd of 50 people attended religious rituals in Ayodhya