MHA Bans Entry of 2,550 Foreign Tablighi Jamaat Members For 10 Yrs

The MHA’s move comes after state governments gave details of those purportedly staying illegally across the country.

File photo: A health worker sanitizes an area near Nizamuddin mosque.

(Photo: PTI)

The Home Ministry has blacklisted 2,550 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members, who were staying in India during the nationwide lockdown in violation of visa rules, with their entry into India being banned for 10 years, news agency PTI reported on Thursday, 4 June, quoting officials.

According to the PTI report, the MHA's move has come after state governments gave details of those purportedly staying illegally across the country.

The grouping came into the limelight after the Nizamuddin area in Delhi, where its headquarters is located, emerged as a hotspot of COVID-19 cases, with many members of the Jamaat testing positive for the virus.

The allegation was that they went ahead with a gathering of around 2,000 people at the mosque in March, despite warning from authorities.

However, the issue also turned political, with many alleging that the incident was being used to target members of the Muslim community.

(With inputs from PTI.)