Day after DGP warns of strict action, over 200 people, including Tablighi Jamaat members, surrender to police

Dehradun: A day after Uttarakhand director general of police (DGP) Anil Raturi gave a stern warning, asking all Jamaat members to surrender before authorities by April 6 or be ready to face the law, over 200 people, including the members of Tablighi Jamaat along with people who came in contact with them, showed up before police on Monday.
Ashok Kumar, director general (DG) of law and order, told TOI, “In Haridwar, about 160 people, mostly members of the Jamaat, have identified themselves before police.While in Dehradun, 64 people who recently came in contact with Jamaat members have contacted police.”
Kumar added that all of them are going to be quarantined after noting down their details such as travel history and the identity of the Jamaat member whom they came in contact with.
Meanwhile, police on Monday launched a helpline number for public to report about suspicious Jamaat followers who have not come forward and are believed to be hiding.
“Police have an operational helpline number of 0135-2722100 for Covid-19 and we are appealing to everyone to report on the number if they find any suspicious follower of Jamaat who is hiding his participation in any of its recent religious congregation,” Kumar said.
To recall, in a video message released by police headquarters on Sunday, DGP Anil Raturi had asked those Jamaat members, who attended any religious congregation recently and had not got themselves tested, to show up before the authorities by April 6 or be ready to face strict action.
Raturi had added that from April 6 onwards, police would register a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the Jamaat member who is hiding and may end up infecting someone else, while in case a member infects someone with the deadly virus resulting in his/her death, police would book that member under section 302 (murder) of the IPC.
Kumar added that state police have booked as many as 36 followers of Jamaat in five districts of the state on charges of hiding from authorities despite repeated pleas of identifying themselves.
As per police officials, 681 members of Tablighi Jamaat in Uttarakhand have been quarantined by the authorities till date and the exercise to identify more is underway.