156 foreigners who had attended Jamaat meet booked in Maha

A total of 156 foreigners have been booked on the charges of violating the Foreigners Act 1946. They travelled to Maharashtra after attending the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi last month.

Mumbai: A total of 156 foreigners who travelled to Maharashtra after attending the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi last month have been booked on the charges of violating the Foreigners Act 1946, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Sunday.

These people, who were visiting India on a tourist visa, allegedly participated in religious activities including preaching, he said.

The Health ministry has attributed the spike in COVID-19 cases in various parts of the country to the religious congregation held at Nizamuddin Markaz in March.

"Section 14-B of the Foreigners' Act has been invoked against the 156 people for forgery of passport which stipulates 2-8 years in prison and the fine between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000," said an official from the home department.

Sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were also invoked against them, he said.

These people hailed from 17 countries like Kyrgyzstan, Ghana, Djibouti, Malaysia, Togo, Indonesia, Bangladesh to name a few, Deshmukh said.

All of them have been traced and put under institutional quarantine, he said.

PTI