UP police file charges against 83 Tablighis, 57 of them foreigners

The police had taken them into custody after the Tablighi members completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine. So far, an officer said, chargesheet has been filed in more than 200 of these cases.

Of those taken into custody, 300 Tablighbi members,including 279 foreign nationals, are at present lodged in different jails in UP. The others are out on bail, an officer said. Saharanpur SSP Dinesh Kumar P confirmed, “The police today filed chargesheet against total 83 Jamaat members, which includes 57 foreign nationals. They were accused in six cases lodged in Saharanpur.”

The foreign nationals are from Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sudan and France, among other countries.

According to Saharanpur police, while three cases were filed at Mandi police station, one FIR each was registered by Kotwali Dehat, Kutubsher and Deoband police. Local residents are also accused of allegedly making arrangements for stay of foreign nationals, who are accused of participating in a religious congregation while travelling to India on tourist visa.

“Local residents are out on bail; the foreign nationals are lodged in temporary jail in Saharanpur,” an officer said. The chargesheet has been filed in all six cases under IPC Sections such as 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule), the officer said.

The police also pressed charges against the accused under Epidemic Disease Act and Foreigners Act.