COVID-19: Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad asks followers to follow government orders, says he is in quarantine

The head of Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Saad, on Thursday (April 2) released an audio message saying he is in isolation following the advise of doctors. It is to be noted that Maulana Saad has been booked by the Delhi Police for a congregation linked to a coronavirus case cluster at Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin.

Delhi Police has launched a manhunt to find Maulana Saad, who enjoys the support of over 100 crore Muslims living in over 200 countries across the globe.

Efforts are on to trace hundreds of invitees to the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in New Delhi, which is emerging as one of the coronavirus hotspots in India. The nationwide hunt across states have identified more than 6,000 people who attended the congregation.

According to government, the number of coronavirus cases have increased largely due to Tablighi Jamaat congregation, which took place in mid-March, and therefore technically it does not show a national trend. The government has urged people to follow guidelines during the lockdown period and avoid congregations, including religious gatherings. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi were among the places to report a large number of new cases.

In Delhi, the authorities said coronavirus cases have risen to 152, including 53 who attended the Nizamuddin congregation, while the number in Maharashtra increased by 33 to 335 on Wednesday, including 30 in Mumbai alone. The tally can increase further as nearly 5,000 quarantined persons are in the high-risk category, according to the state government. The state reported six deaths on Wednesday, taking the total to 16, maximum in the country.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus COVID cases in India jumped to 1965 on Thursday and the number of deaths due to this deadly virus has touched 50.