CM Chouhan blames Tablighi Jamaat for COVID-19 spread in Madhya Pradesh

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday squarely blamed the Tablighi Jamaat for spread of the COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, saying health and police personnel contacted the infection in the process of identifying and carrying the Jamaat attendees to hospitals. Personnel of the two crucial government departments account for bulk of the COVID-19 positive patients.

Number of infection cases went up to 407 in the state by Thursday afternoon and the death toll has gone up to 33.

The pandemic is spreading in small towns of the state after having infected a large number of patients in big towns such as Bhopal and Indore. Over two dozen cases were detected in smaller town in the last two days.

According to the chief minister, the carriers of the virus to these towns were Jamat members who had returned from Nizamuddin two weeks ago. He warned that hidden Jamaat members to come out for screening, otherwise strict action will be taken against them.

Owing to detection of fresh cases in adjoining districts, three big cities Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain have been completely sealed.

Indore recorded six deaths on Wednesday and 40 more cases, taking the number of patients to 213.