Cong leader with COVID-19 booked for hiding travel history, village declared containment zone

A Congress leader, who tested positive for coronavirus, was booked for hiding his travel history after allegedly attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Markaz last month and his village, Deenpur, in Najafgarh was declared a containment zone, police said on Friday.

After the issue of religious congregation at Nizamuddin came to light, district police were tracing people who attended the event. It was then found that five people from the area had attended the gathering following which several people, including the man, were asked to home quarantine, they said.

Initially, the police had also asked the man, a former councillor of Nangli Sakrawati, if he was part of the event, but he denied it. His wife is the current councillor of Nangli Sakrawati, a village in Najafgarh, they said.

During physical verification of the people quarantined at their homes in the area, the man was not found by health authorities at his residence. On subsequent questioning, he again hid facts about his past travel and movements, they said.

Even during repeated medical and police enquiry, he withheld this fact and did not disclose it to the authorities, a senior police official said.

Later, he fell ill and when he was tested he was found positive for coronavirus. His wife and child also tested positive for the infection, following which all three of them were hospitalised, the official said.

After analysing his call records and upon physical enquiry, it was found that he had visited Jamaat at Nizamuddin, the official said, adding that he had jeopardised the health of the local community and his family members.

As a result, a containment zone was declared in Deenpur village and legal action was initiated against him, the police said.

A case under section 188 (for disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) Of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Epidemic Diseases Act, has been registered against him at Chhawla police station, they said.

Comprehensive surveillance and information gathering through rigorous physical verification and technical monitoring is being ensured to enforce the lockdown and home quarantine norms to contain the spread of coronavirus in Dwarka district, the police said.

The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West, which is among the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, was cleared after the evacuation of 2,361 people in the a 36-hour operation.