Delhi Minorities Commission asks Health Department to drop mention of Tablighi Jamaat from COVID-19 charts

The Delhi Minorities Commission has asked the Health Department to drop any mention of Tablighi Jamaat event in its daily bulletins on COVID-19 cases in Delhi.

In a letter to the Director/Secretary, Delhi Health Department, the DMC Chairman Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said, "Your bulletins of Coronavirus victims are showing a separate column 'Markaz Masjid'. Such thoughtless classification is feeding into the Islamophobia agenda of the lap media and Hindutva forces and has been easily turned into a handle to attack Muslims across the country. As a result, Muslims are being attacked in various areas, calls are being made for their social boycott, one boy has been lynched in the North-West Delhi village of Harewali, others attacked."

The DMC letter further said, "World Health Organisation has taken cognizance of this phenomenon, unique to India. WHO Emergency Programme Director Mike Ryan said on April 6, 'Countries should not profile novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in terms of religion or any other criteria."

With 51 more COVID-19 positive cases on Thursday, the total number of positive cases in the national capital has risen to 720.

Out of the total 720 cases, there are 430 cases from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation that took place in Nizamuddin Markaz last month.

The Delhi government has made wearing face-mask compulsory in the city.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on Wednesday said that 20 hotspots have been identified in Delhi in the battle to contain coronavirus. However, the authorities also added Bengali Market in the list of the hotspot on Thursday.