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'Around 1,000 people were stuck at Nizamuddin Markaz following lockdown as vehicle passes were not issued'

Six people from Telangana who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin died due to the novel coronavirus, the state government said on Monday.

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The organisers of a religious congregation in Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin area said on Tuesday said around 1,000 people were stuck at Markaz after the nationwide lockdown as the concerned authorities did not issue vehicle passes for the people. 

Police and paramilitary personnel cordoned off an area in Nizamuddin West in south Delhi on Monday after the authorities were alerted that several people who took part in a religious congregation showed symptoms of coronavirus. While around 860 people were evacuated and sent to quarantine by Tuesday morning while 300 were in the process of being evacuated. 

"On 24th March, a notice was issued by SHO PS Hazrat Nizamuddin, seeking closure of Markaz premises. It was responded on 24th March, stating that compliance of directions regarding the closure of Markaz is underway and around 1500 people had departed previous day thus leaving around 1000 visitors of different states and nationalities," Markaz, the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat, said. 

"It was also informed that Ld. SDM concerned had been requested to issue vehicle passes so that remaining people could be sent back to their native places outside of Delhi. List of 17 vehicles with registration numbers along with names of drivers plus their license details were submitted to Ld. SDM so that stranded visitors/guests could be ferried towards their destination. The requisite permission is still awaited," it said. 

Officials said on Monday that over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz from March 1-15. Besides, the campus houses hundreds of people on any given day from different parts of the country. 

The religious establishment in the national capital has emerged as a major hotspot of COVID-19. Six people from Telangana who attended the congregation died due to the novel coronavirus, the state government said on Monday. 

"Coronavirus has spread among some of those who attended a religious prayer meeting from March 13 to 15 at Markaz in Nizamuddin area in Delhi," the state government said in a press release. 

"Among those who attended were some persons from Telangana," it said. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered the registration of an FIR against the organisers for leading the congregation.

The area near the establishment was virtually sealed following fears that some people may have contracted COVID-19. The Delhi government has launched a house-to-house mapping exercise in two nearby colonies on Tuesday to check for coronavirus cases.

Monitoring is done in the area around Markaz building, Nizamuddin with the help of a drone

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