'Revoke FIR against Tablighi Jamaat Chief', demands JNU student group

According to a Times Now report, the poster released by the JNU group read, "Stand against Islamophobia, Muslims are not your scapegoats….Stand with Tablighi Jamaat.” It also sought safety and dignity for the migrant workers, said the report.

According to media reports, MSJ was founded by Sharjeel Imam, who is currently incarcerated on sedition charges. He had established the group to fight anti-muslim elements and this is the same group which had called a meeting on the day Ayodhya verdict was given by the Supreme Court.

The Delhi Police have registered an FIR against Tablighi Jamaat sect chief cleric Maulana Saad and six others for flouting Coronavirus warning and hosting a congregation of 3000 people at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid in Delhi, which emerged as country's one of the hotspots of the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to reports, Maulana Saad is missing. He was last seen on Saturday when coronavirus cases related to the gathering started surfacing.

Besides Maulana Saad, the FIR booked Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, M Saifi, Younus, Mohammad Salman and Mohammed Ashraf under the Epidemic Disease Act.

The FIR stated that these seven people were not only responsible for holding the gathering but also allowed several to remain in the building despite constant warnings from the government against such assembly, including the lockdown notice on Mar 24.

"At a time when the entire nation is fighting against Coronavirus, few people are busy propagating their agenda, in JNU also they are not cooperating with security agencies to implement the directions issued by the government. It's really unfortunate that they cannot keep their ideology at bay at this time of the pandemic.

What has happened in Nizamuddin is condemnable. They (MSJ) are demanding that FIR should be revoked if this happens then what message will go in society? It will send a very negative message. Doing this and demanding students' community is highly condemnable" said Shivam Chaurasiya, JNU ABVP President, Republic World reported.

According to the Times Now report, Shaad has released an audio recording from an unknown location, urging people to avoid gatherings and abide by government's directives.

"We should avoid gathering at places and follow what the government and law want us to do. It is also our duty to provide support and help to them in these times," said Saad, according to the report.

"Quarantine yourself, no matter where you are, it is not against Islam or Shariyat," he added.

Meanwhile, several Indian states, which were free from coronavirus, reported sharp increase in cases after the people who attended the religious congregation returned to their states. These include --Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram. 

According to worldometers.info, 2,032 people in India have been infected with the novel coronavirus with 58 deaths and 148 recoveries.

(Poster Image tweeted by @AnimaSonkar)