How Tablighi Jamaat Event Became India's Worst Coronavirus Vector

With nearly a third of cases linked to its New Delhi gathering, the Muslim missionary movement comes under intense scrutiny.

Men, who according to officials visited three Muslim missionary gatherings including in New Delhi's Nizamuddin area, sit in an ambulance that will take them to a quarantine facility, on April 3 [Amit Dave/Reuters]

New Delhi, India - On any given day, the headquarters of the Muslim missionary movement, the Tablighi Jamaat, in the narrow lanes of capital New Delhi's Nizamuddin area, is full of activity, with hundreds of worshippers streaming in and out of the five-story building.

But, on March 22, authorities shut its doors - with about 2,500 worshippers still inside - after it emerged that a religious gathering organized by the group on March 13-15 caused the biggest coronavirus spike in India.

More:

• India tracks attendees after Muslim event linked to virus cases

• Pakistan quarantines 20,000 following Tabligh gathering in Lahore

• Made in Malaysia: How mosque event spread the virus to SE Asia

Of about 4,400 COVID-19 positive cases in India, nearly a third are related to the religious gathering at the Markaz, as the Jamaat headquarters is known. The government claimed more than 8,000 people, including foreigners, visited the headquarters in early March.

While accusing the Jamaat leadership of "carelessness" during a global pandemic, experts and civil society members also blamed the central government for its delayed response and allowing foreigners, particularly those coming from COVID-19 hotspot nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia, into India.