960 foreigners linked to Tablighi Jamaat blacklisted, visas cancelled

Taking stringent action against the Tablighi Jamaat, Nizamuddin, the Centre on Thursday blacklisted 960 foreigners and cancelled their tourist visas after over their involvement in Jamaat activities. The government also said that necessary legal action will be taken against them.

"Under the directions of Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has blacklisted 960 foreigners, present in India on tourist visas, for their involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in an official statement.

The ministry also directed the Delhi Police and the DGPs of other concerned states to take necessary legal action against all such violators on priority, under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005. 

Earlier on Thursday, the government informed that as many as 400 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi have tested positive for coronavirus.

The religious event organised by the Tablighi Jamaat has resulted in Nizamuddin turning into a coronavirus hotspot after several cases were linked to the gathering, including the deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

At least 9,000 people have been quarantined across India who either attended the Nizamuddin event or came in contact with those who attended.

Earlier, an FIR was registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others for defying lockdown orders and organising a religious event.