Screen Rohingya Muslims, contacts for COVID 19, MHA asks states

Hyderabad: Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed all states to thoroughly screen Rohingya and their contacts for COVID 19.

This follows the revelation that Rohingya Muslims have attended the Markaz. Earlier the activities of Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) were also exposed by the security agencies.

“It has been reported that Rohingya Muslims have attended Ijtemas and other religious congregations of Tablighi Jamat. There is a possibility of their contracting COVID-19. Rohingyas residing in camps in Hyderabad, Telangana had attended Tablighi Jamaat Ijtema at Mewat, Haryana and had visited Nizamuddin Markaz at New Delhi”, said Internal Security Division of the MHA in its letter.

Similarly, Rohingyas living in Shram Vihar, Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, who had gone for TJ activities, have not returned to their camps, the MHA said.

“Also, the presence of Rohingya Muslims after attending Tablighi Jamaat work has also presently been reported from Derabassi, Punjab and Jammu area of UT of Jammu & Kashmir,” the MHA said

Therefore, Rohingya Muslims and their contacts may need to be screened for COVID-19, the MHA said. Accordingly, necessary measures may be taken in this regard on priority, the MHA said.

However, officials of the state government claimed that they have already conducted checks for the Rohingya Muslims in the city and all of them have tested negative for COVID-19.

They claimed that adequate safety and social distancing measures are taken up at Rohingya camps. They are also sensitized regularly. Around 3,000 Rohingya Muslims are living in Hyderabad.