Police ask for CCTV footage of Markaz, register of attendees

nNEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has sought details of the number of CCTV cameras inside the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the single largest source of Covid-19 infections across the country. The police also asked Tablighi Jamaat’s head, Maulana Saad, to preserve the footage.

Saad and six other top management officials of Tablighi Jamaat are currently facing a probe for defying restrictions on gatherings. In the first information report registered by the crime branch, Saad and others have been accused of defying the state government’s orders of March 13 and 16.

The state government, on those dates, had banned all gatherings, including religious ones.

Other details sought by the investigating officers pertained to the “original register/data/ and records maintained by the management of the Markaz” with regards to those who participated in the congregation since March 12, including foreigners. Question number 17 in the police’s letter is related to details of the action that the management took to disperse the gathering after the government’s order on March 13.

Saad’s lawyer, Fuzail Ayyubi, said they would send a reply to the police at the earliest. He also denied reports on social media that Saad was absconding or had been summoned by the police. “Police have requested us to provide answers to some questions, under Section 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code. We are filing the questionnaire and will provide a detailed response. We are complying with the police’s directions and will cooperate. The maulana is in self-isolation, as advised. He is not absconding.”

Meanwhile, the police, along with the Delhi government and the ministry of home affairs, is identifying the places where those who attended the Markaz might have visited. District administration officials said the list of people, who could have come in contact with those who tested positive from the Markaz, is being prepared by the Central government. “They do the first round of contact tracing and send us the list. We then execute the standard operating procedure,” a senior official said.