Foreign Jamaat workers to be deported, says Centre

The government of India has advised all states and union territories to “thoroughly screen” all the foreigners who are part of Tabligh Jamaat (TJ). Any foreigner found to be free from Covid-19 has to be immediately deported by the first available flight. Until then, such person must be confined and quarantined by the host organisation.

The government advisory also says that foreign teams of the Jamaat are on tour in rural parts of India and appear to be potential carriers of the coronavirus.

“TJ activists from India had reportedly attended a religious congregation in a mosque in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Open domain reports indicated that several of those who attended the congregation had tested positive for Covid-19. Hence, thorough screenings of these who arrived from Malaysia is urgently needed,” said the advisory.

It is estimated that about 2,000 foreigners, on tourist visa, from over 70 countries are spread all over the country for Tabligh work, says the government. Their period of stay in this country is up to six months. “The Tabligh headquarters at Delhi is reportedly in the process of calling the foreign Tabligh teams from different states and sending them back to their respective countries,” said the advisory.

The six-storey headquarters of the Jamaat has emerged as the one of the biggest coronavirus hot spots in India. An estimated 2,500 Sunni Muslim men belonging to several nationalities checked into the establishment called markaz in Delhi earlier this month for a congregation.

The authorities now fear the markaz waypoint has become a coronavirus transmission hub, with 24 preachers testing positive in Delhi alone between Sunday and Monday.

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