Nooh (Haryana): Tablighi Jamaat Markaz located in New Delhi has become a hot topic which is being discussed every day. The infection which spread in the Nizamuddin Markaz is affecting almost all corners of the country. The people from the Markaz have emerged as the super spreaders of coronavirus, so much so that the Mewat region in Haryana has become the ‘centre’ of the virus.
The Tablighi jamaat came into being in 1926- 27, in the Mewat region of the state. It was established by an ancestor of Maulana Saad, Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Rahmatullahaleh.
Maulana Saad is the 4th generation Maulana of Mohammad Ilyas heading the organization. The journey of the jamaat has been of about 93 years. The first meeting of the Tablighi Jamaat in India was held in 1941 where around 25000 people had turned up. Till the 1940s the functions of the Jamat were limited to undivided India but the next decade onwards it began to spread, with members coming up from everywhere around the globe.
The Mewat region in Haryana has become a hotspot of Corona affected patients as the largest number of Corona positive cases in Haryana are being found in Palwal and Nooh and most of the positive cases found in Nooh are either foreigners or people of other states.
The Mewat region consists of part of Nooh and Palwal districts. About 7% of the population in the state of Haryana is Mohammedan while in Mewat, it is 70 per cent. The Nizamuddin region of Delhi is only about 100 kilometres from the Mewat region. This is a major reason for Nooh and Palwal acting as centres for the Tablighi Jamaat. From both the districts, especially from the area of Nooh, hundreds of people take part in the Tablighi jamaat daily.
How many are under surveillance in Nooh?
1205 people who returned from the Markaz are under surveillance. Out of these the surveillance period for 60 people is over and 1145 people are still under constant surveillance. Until now samples of 355 people have been sent to labs out of which 253 samples have been found negative, 37 reports have been found positive while the report of 65 has not yet been declared.
Among these 37 positive cases, 5 are from Kerala, 6 from Sri Lanka, 1 each from South Africa and Indonesia, 1 from Thailand, 3 from Jammu and Kashmir, 5 from Bihar, 5 from UP, 2 each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, 2 from Andhra Pradesh, 1 from Madhya Pradesh and 3 are from Nooh district.
36 villages declared under containment -Deputy Commissioner
Deputy commissioner, Nooh, Mr Pankaj Yadav stated that the health department is ready to deal with every kind of urgency . The medical and the paramedical staff have all been trained to control and stop the contamination of COVID 19.
He further stated that till 7th April evening 37 corona positive cases had been found in the district. Out of these only ones is a local resident while all others hail from outside the district. In 36 villages where the door to door screening is being conducted. These villages have also been declared as containment zones.
Some jamaatis may be in hiding – Asst Civil Surgeon
Dr Arvind, Assistant Civil surgeon on this regard informed that, "All cases that have emerged in the district are related in one way or another way to the Jamat. Further, he also said that some infected patients may still be in hiding in Nooh."
He said some people had come forward voluntarily had also given information about other people who did not come forward.
More than 600 under surveillance in Palwal
The district of Palwal forms a part of the Mewat region. As per Chief Medical Officer Dr Ajay Mam, "More than 600 people have been kept under surveillance. After Nooh, Palwal has become the district with the second highest number of corona positive cases. The Palwal police have been able to nab 89 jamaatis till now."
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9 villages declared containment zones and 27 declared buffer zones in Palwal
Looking at the rise of Corona positive cases in the district, the administration has declared 9 villages in the Hathin area as containment zones. While the 27 villages adjoining these villages have been declared as the buffer zone. The borders of all the villages in the containment and the buffer zone have been sealed. Door-to-door screening is being done in the villages of the Containment Area.
Cases may increase with testing
There are assertions that the number of Corona positive cases will only increase because tests of many people are being conducted. Also, the reports of many are awaited. There are no corona test labs in Nooh or Palwal. Samples of patients are sent to Rohtak by post where they are tested at the postgraduate institute of Medical Sciences (PGI). The Nalhad Medical College in Nooh has been declared as a Hospital for treatment and isolation of COVID 19 patients. The Haryana government has ensured that testing facility is available at 3 private and three government institutions further it has ordered that 5 new test centres be created.
How are medical arrangements?
The Civil Al Hafia Hospital in Nooh is taking test samples for testing. Where after being examined and checked by doctors patients are being sent to Nalhad medical college. Currently, 4 educational institutions in Nooh have been converted to quarantine centres. Around 150-200 suspected patients have been quarantined in each centre. Further, around 70 foreigners have keen kept in the ‘Samsuddin Rehna Hostel in Nooh. As part of the preparation for or an increase in the number of cases, 4 more other places have been earmarked as quarantine centres if the need for them arises in the future.
Maulavi Mufti Rafique Ahmad, Chief of the Darul Uloom Hussainia Mandikhera Madrasa said that the Jamaat does everything possible to remove social evils prevailing among Muslims. When the lockdown was announced in the country, the Jamaat remained at the place where it was. It is not as if the members contacted people for the first time. It is a duty of the jamaat to meet as many people as possible for religious discourses.
Default of Delhi government, not Markaz: Razuddin, Social worker
Razuddin a social worker from Mooh district said that "due to Nooh and Palwal districts becoming the centre of the coronavirus ordinary Muslims too are being targeted, but the spirit and ideal of the Muslim community have not ended in relation with the Tablighi jamaat. The fiction that spread coronavirus in Delhi is not a failure of the Tablighi jamaat but a failure of the Delhi government."
Police adopted Containment Plan
After the details of the Nizamuddin Markaz came to light, the Haryana police and the intelligence department kicked into action. District borders were sealed. Simultaneously, a search was started for people associated with Markaz. As the cases progressed, the police worked on a three-tier formula. Many villages of Palwal and Noonh were declared as Containment Areas and many villages as Buffer Zones. Under this, door-to-door screening was started within one kilometre of the containment area. And the travel history of the people within the radius of three kilometres was investigated. People who returned from Markaz were warned to come forward and conduct their own investigation. The health department and the police team together approached the religious leaders of Mewat, which made this job a little easier.
Home minister's warning
The home minister of Haryana Anil Vij is also seen in action mode after seeing the increasing cases of the corona. Vij immediately increased the number of testing labs in Haryana. At the same time, the Health Department was fully prepared. Anil Vij also warned all the Jamaatis who had returned from Markaz that if they themselves did not appear for the test, then a case would be registered against them under serious sections.
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