Assam MP and chief of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Maulana Badruddin Ajmal urged all who returned to Assam from the Nizamuddin congregation to immediately visit government hospitals for coronavirus screening, while the state government warned of legal action against those failing to do so by Monday evening.
"You have not committed theft or robbery, you have nothing to fear. Please visit the nearest government hospitals immediately for necessary screening and quarantine. Because those who had contracted the deadly virus during their stay in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin are not only putting their lives in danger but also their family members, neighbours and all who came in their contact so far," Ajmal said.
Ajmal's appeal comes at a time when 128 such persons remained untraced and the state government's repeated appeals yielded no results. "You had gone there to pray to Allah but if you got infected with a virus or got a disease, you should visit a doctor or a hospital," he said. Soon after the Centre issued advisories to avoid crowds, Ajmal had appealed all Muslims to even perform their Friday namaz at their homes and not to visit the Masjids, as a precautionary measure.
With 12 MLAs and one MP, AIUDF is an important opposition party in Assam and Ajmal himself enjoys respect and influence among many Muslim population in the state.
Assam has reported 26 COVID-19 positive cases so far, of which 25 are related to the Nizamuddin congregration.
The state so far collected samples of 491 persons, who either returned from Nizamuddin congregration or their family members and those who came in contact with them. But 128 are still traceless.
"We have made several appeals earlier and today I want to appeal them again to get in touch with the health department through our helpline number (104) by today evening. From tomorrow, we will have to register FIRs against those failing to come forward and help us contain spread of the virus. There are legal provisions under the Disaster Management Act to initiate action against such wilful negligent persons," health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters in Guwahati on Monday.