Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police booked a case against local Tablighi Jamaat leader Ikram Ali, 80, and 10 other Tablighi Jamaat members for giving shelters to foreigners at the local office despite the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the state.
India Today reported that around 30-40 people including foreigners were given shelter at Mallepally Markaz (Telangana Headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat) violating the government orders.
Violators were booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.
According to Times of India criminal case was slapped against 11 members of the Tablighi Jamaat’s state unit, including its chief, Ikram Ali.
According to police sources, the case was registered by Habeeb Nagar police three days ago, but they kept it under wraps to avoid any untoward incident.
They were made to undergo Covid-19 test and were put in quarantine. Most of them have so far tested negative.
However, Ali claimed: “No one was given shelter in our centre after the government ordered a shutdown. Since several decades, people from various parts from the world have stayed here and this year too, it was done before the lock-down was announced.” “We have never indulged in any illegal activities of any sort,” he added.
The total number of cases in Telangana was 531 with 16 deaths as on Sunday.