Gujarat residents attended Nizamuddin event, probe ordered

The Gujarat police on Tuesday said some persons from the state had attended an Islamic congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi that has become a key source for the spread of coronavirus in the country, and process is in to identity and locate them.

From Surat alone, as many as 76 people had attended the gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin, the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat, earlier this month, officials said.

Now, authorities are trying to locate them as they may have got infected with the deadly virus, said officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation.

While a probe has been ordered to identify all the attendees, primary investigations so far had revealed that some persons from Bhavnagar, too, had visited the congregation, said Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha.

"We are aware that some persons from Gujarat had visited the gathering. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also taken cognizance of the issue.

DCP Dipan Bhadran of the Ahmedabad crime branch, along with the ATS, has been handed over the probe to identify the people," the DGP told reporters in Gandhinagar.

"Primary investigations revealed that people from Bhavnagar attended the event. More details will emerge during the probe. We will share the information with the health department to initiate home quarantine for such people," Jha said.

Officials in Delhi had said that about 30 of those who attended the Nizamuddin event in mid-March tested positive and at least three have succumbed to the infection in the last few days.

Surat municipal commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said efforts are on to trace the attendees from the city.

We have learned that 76 persons from Surat had attended the event in Nizamuddin. We have formed teams to trace them. I urge them to voluntarily come forward and contact us.

"There is no need to panic. I also urge people to share any information they have about these 76 persons," said Pani.

The Bhavnagar police had also swung into action to identify those who had visited the meet site.

"We have information that some people from Bhavnagar had visited the gathering. We have formed teams to identify and locate them," said Inspector General of Police, Bhavnagar Range, Ashok Kumar Yadav.