In Search For Islamic Sect Members, Bihar Finds 70 Foreign Preachers

A nationwide search has escalated for participants of a religious gathering in Delhi. (PTI)

As many states are racing to search for participants of a religious gathering in Delhi linked to nearly 400 coronavirus cases across the country, Bihar has found 70 foreign preachers who were living in various parts of the state anonymously. While they are unrelated to the Markaz Nizamuddin gathering, these preachers are feared to be in the high COVID-19 risk category because of their extensive travel history.

Bihar officials found the foreign preachers in their hunt for members of the Islamic missionary group Tablighi Jamaat, who attended the Markaz Nizamuddin event last month and then spread out in various parts of the country.

Nearly 9,000 people, including 1,300 foreigners, have been identified with links to the Tablighi Jamaat event, which has emerged as India's biggest hotspot in the coronavirus pandemic.

Of these, 86 are believed to be from Bihar. Most of them have been quarantined in Delhi and one man has been isolated in Bihar. The search is on for the rest.

Bihar is also looking for 57 Tablighi preachers, mostly foreigners. Thirty-five have been traced.

While searching for members from the Delhi religious gathering, Bihar police found and quarantined 70 foreign preachers. They have been in India for three months or more, but what has worried authorities is that very little is known about their history and documents. They are also believed to have travelled all over India in the past few months, which, officials believe, may have exposed them to COVID-19.

Twenty-three coronavirus cases have been reported from Bihar, while one person has lost his life due to the epidemic that has so far infected more than 1,600 people across the country.