Authorities in Telangana have reportedly registered a case against 11 office bearers of the state Tablighi Jamaat unit for allegedly sheltering a large number of returnees from the mid-March congregation in New Delhi.
According to a report in The Times of India, senior Telangana police officers said that the Habeeb Nagar police had lodged a case under the Epidemic Diseases Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The case was registered under the Epidemic Diseases Act, sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and other sections of IPC.
There was earlier a separate FIR against eight Indonesian nationals on the direction of Ministry of Home Affairs. Ikram Ali, along with others, has been charged with sheltering a large number of returnees.
The 11 office bearers of the Tablighi Jamaat have been accused of housing people at the Mallepalle centre, opposing government orders asking all religious places to remain shut.
However, Ikram Ali reportedly told TOI that they had never violated any government order.
“No one was given shelter in our centre after the government ordered a shutdown. Since several decades, people from various parts from the world have stayed here and this year too, it was done before the lockdown was announced. We have never indulged in any illegal activities of any sort,” Ali reportedly said.
Following the tracing of all the citizens who returned from attending the New Delhi event, everyone inside the Mallepalle centre was reportedly tested and most of them have been found to be negative.
(With inputs from The Times of India)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)