NEW DELHI : It took an intervention by national security advisor Ajit Doval to begin one of India’s largest evacuation, contact-tracing and quarantine drive in south Delhi’s Nizamuddin area on the evening of 29 March.
Even after the nation was placed under a three-week lockdown on 24 March, as many as 1,700 attendees defied social distancing orders and continued to stay put at the Tabligh Markaz, where preachers deliver lessons from the Quran to potential proselytizers.
The matter raised concerns because the Markaz (centre), the headquarters of the Tabligh (outreach) movement, is known to be a major draw for foreigners.