Tablighi Jamaat followed govt's lockdown order, wrong to blame them for COVID-19 spread: Maulana Arshad Madani

Jamiat Ulema e Hind national president Maulana Arshad Madani on Thursday said that Tablighi Jammat should not be held responsible for the coronavirus spread as they did not defy the government's order since Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to people to not to move out from their respective places during the lockdown.

"Due to the lockdown situation, people get locked up in the Markaz. While announcing the lockdown, the Prime Minister had said one must stay wherever he or she is and not come out, which means that there was no such thing as breaking the law," he told media persons here.

"Markaz cannot be blamed for this as people had requested the concerned authorities and agencies to give them permission to go to their homes," he added.

He said that it is wrong to tell the world that coronavirus cases are rising due to Muslims.

"Now, to tell the world that this coronavirus problem is at surge due to Muslims is absolutely incorrect. People do not have to fear from God and that is why they are speaking like this," Madani said.

The Jamiat Ulema e Hind chief further appealed to all countrymen to stay home and maintain social distancing to combat COVID-19.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the number of people who participated in the event but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building.