Tablighi Jamaat members who failed to report will now be booked as deadline ends: Haryana minister

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the Tablighi Jamaat members who failed to report to authorities would now be booked under law as the deadline for them to identify themselves came to an end, even as the state reported 24 fresh coronavirus cases. Vij, who is also the health minister of the state, has maintained that a sharp spike in the total number of COVID-19 cases in Haryana was due to the sizeable chunk of positive cases belonging to the Jamaat members. With 24 fresh cases being reported on Wednesday, the total number of coronavirus cases in the northern state rose to 153 on Wednesday.

Vij said so far, nearly 1,550 of the Jamaat members, including 107 foreigners, have been tracked down in the state. A majority of those who entered the state before the lockdown had been traced to Nuh district, he said.

"Jamaat members who might still be hiding in the state had been given time till 5 pm on April 8 to report to the district administration concerned, failing which strict action would be initiated against them as per law," the minister had said. Vij said on Wednesday, "The deadline given to them has ended. Those who will be tracked down now and found COVID positive will be booked under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder)." He justified invoking of stringent punishment against the members, saying COVID-19 was a "highly contagious and fatal disease and someone who deliberately conceals it even after being given enough time deserves to be strictly dealt with".

Several of those who have been tracked down in the state had attended a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi against the social distancing protocol amid the coronavirus outbreak. Referring to some of the Jamaat members who may still be hiding in the state without informing the authorities, Chief Minister M L Khattar, in a televised address to the people of the state on Wednesday, said there are some who because of fear of some social stigma are still concealing that they participated in the Nizamuddin event.

"Such people are not only harming themselves but the society as well. While they will be dealt as per law, but they should understand that they are not doing any good to the humanity because this disease is highly contagious and can spread easily," he said. On Wednesday, Khattar held an all-party meeting through video-conference to discuss the present coronavirus situation in the state with political leaders.

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda assured the government of all possible support and cooperation in the fight against coronavirus. Meanwhile, asked if the state planned any relaxation in public movement in case the lockdown is extended beyond April 14, Vij said, "We will assess (the situation). We will soon conduct random COVID-19 tests in every district, and based on the report of these tests, will be able to take any decision." "Random tests will be conducted to check instances of community spread of the disease," he said.

Among the fresh cases reported on Wednesday, the maximum were reported from Gurgaon at 12, seven were reported from Faridabad, one from Nuh and two from Palwal, one from Sonipat while Fatehabad district reported its first case, according to the state health department's evening bulletin. At present, there are 133 active COVID-19 cases in the state, while 18 patients have been discharged. The state has recorded two COVID-19 related deaths. Reports of 612 samples are awaited, it said.

Among the total coronavirus cases reported in Haryana, 10 are foreign nationals, while 61 are from other states, as per the state Health Department bulletin. The worst affected districts of the state are Gurgaon (32), Nuh (38), Palwal (28) and Faridabad (28).

Meanwhile, 3,817 jail inmates have been released on interim or regular bail, parole or extended parole after the state government decided to release convicted prisoners with up to seven years of sentences and undertrials liable to get as long jail terms on conviction. Foreign prisoners, however, are not included in this. Also, the prisoners convicted in cases like drugs, rapes, acid attacks are not among those released.