More than 3,400 people had gathered in the Nizamuddin area for the Tablighi Jamaat event.
Even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown, Delhi was on put on lockdown. More than 3400 people had gathered in the Nizamuddin area for the Tablighi Jamaat event.
While such a huge gathering has been putting a lot of questions before both Delhi and central governments, six people from Telangana who attended the event has died of coronavirus. Reports say that some of the deaths in states like Maharashtra may also be linked to this event.
Here's the complete timeline of how the congregation defied government lockdown orders for the religious gathering.
March 13: Around 3400 people gather at the Nizamuddin Markaz as part of a religious event.
March 16: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announces a ban on religious, social, political gatherings of more than 50 people in Delhi till March 31.
March 20: 10 Indonesian nationals who were a part of the gathering in Delhi test positive in Telangana.
March 22: PM Narendra Modi’s Janta Curfew is observed across India and all public gatherings are barred for one day.
March 23: Around 1500 people leave the Markaz.
March 24: PM Modi announces a countrywide lockdown for 21 days. All public gatherings, all non-essential movements outside residences banned. Only essential services allowed to function. Nizamuddin Police asks people who are left at the Markaz to leave the area.
March 25: Around 1,000 people defy lockdown orders and remain at the Markaz. A medical team visits the area and suspected cases are isolated in a hall within the building. Jamaat officials seek SDM's permission to vacate.
March 26: An Indian preacher who was part of the gathering tests positive for coronavirus and dies in Srinagar. Meanwhile, SDM visits the Markaz and calls the Jamaat officials for a meeting with the District Magistrate.
March 27: Six suspects are taken away from the Markaz for a medical checkup and are later put in a quarantine facility in Jhajjar, Haryana.
March 28: A World Health Organisation (WHO) team along with the SDM visit the Markaz. 33 people who were taken for medical checkup are put in isolation wards at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital in Delhi. ACP, Lajpat Nagar, sends a notice to the Markaz to vacate immediately.
March 29: Markaz officials reply to ACP's notice claiming no new people were allowed to gather post the nationwide lockdown announcement. The reply adds that the current gathering had started much before the lockdown and PM Modi in his lockdown speech said jo jahaan hai, vahin rahe (stay put wherever you are). In the night, police and health authorities start taking out people from the Markaz and send them to hospitals and quarantine facilities.
According to Delhi Police, two notices were sent to the mosque committee, one on March 23 and the other on March 28, but they failed to act.
Markaz Nizamuddin has said it has not violated any provision of the law and had requested the authorities several times for people stranded at the premises.
The Markaz is the international headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat where hundreds of people are always present and depart to different parts of the country for missionary work.
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 "Men wearing protective masks wait for a bus in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi that will take them to a quarantine facility")
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