LUCKNOW: While the Ghaziabad district administration has been asked to invoke
the National Security Act (NSA) against six Tablighi Jamaat members on Friday after they were booked for misbehaviour and acts of obscenity towards the nursing
staff of MMG district hospital, the culprits have been shifted to Raj Kumar
Goel Institute of Technology and quarantined.
Taking strong note of the incident, UP CM Yogi Adityanath condemned it as an
‘unpardonable crime’ and also issued directives to the authorities concerned
not to depute any female nursing or police staff in the isolation wards where
Tablighi Jamaat members were quarantined across the state hospitals.
Moreover, the stringent NSA would also be slapped on people who attack
policeman enforcing the lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Uttar Pradesh government said on Friday. The state government's move to invoke the NSA comes in view of reports of several incidents of attacks on policemen
enforcing the lockdown.
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Notably, an FIR was lodged against the six Jamaatis quarantined at MMG district
hospital of Ghaziabad late on Thursday night following a written complaint lodged by hospital Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) Dr Ravindra Singh accusing
the Jamaatis of indulging in obscenity and making lewd gestures at nurses and
female para-medical staff of the hospital.
After the hospital's complaint to the police, CM Yogi ordered the authorities to
book them under the tough law -- NSA-- that allowed detention without charges
for up to a year if the accused were seen to threaten public order. They would be
sent to jail after completing the quarantine period.
"They will not follow the law, nor will they accept orders. They are enemies of
humanity. What they have done with women healthcare providers is a heinous
crime. We are invoking the National Security Act against them. We will not spare
them," Yogi Adityanath said.
All the six Jamaatis had attended the meeting at Nizamuddin and were brought to MMG hospital on March 31 and quarantined. One of them has already tested positive for the deadly virus.
The six Jamaatis were booked under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 294 (Any obscene act in any public place, or sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 269 (Intent to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 270 & 271 (Any malignant act to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
CMS Dr Ravindra Singh, in his complaint, had accused the group of harassing the
women staff by roaming without trousers, humming filthy songs and refusing
to follow the isolation rules. “When confronted, they used expletives and laughed off instructions for social distancing,” said Dr Singh.
Meanwhile, similar reports of harassment of medical staff by Jamaatis have been
trickling in from different districts of UP.
While 10 jamatis were booked in Lakhimpur Kheri for offering prayers in a mosque
despite the lockdown, in Kannauj, a mob of 30 attacked police personnel who
had gone to disperse them from a house where they had herded to offer namaz on
Friday. Two cops sustained serious injuries in the scuffle.
Similarly, in Kanpur, while being in quarantine at Halet and Ursala hospitals, 31
Jamaatis littered their isolation wards with garbage and violated the norms
of social distancing to offer namaz together in one ward. Consequently, they all
were shifted to Naraina Medical College where their number has gone up to
56.
A curious case of violation of restrictions surfaced in Agra, where Jamatis
quarantined at Madhu resort created a ruckus seeking beef biryani. They claimed
that food being served to them was tasteless and that they were being
quarantined under a conspiracy.
Similar reports emerged in Balrampur and Aligarh where they refused to cooperate
with the medical staff while being in isolation. In Aligarh, they attacked the police party and resorted to stone pelting while being taken for isolation.