A writ petition was filed on Monday in the Supreme Court by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind for a direction to the Centre to stop the media from communalising the Tablighi Jamaat incident, which is allegedly linked to the spread of COVID-19.
The pleas, filed through advocate Ejaz Maqbool, said: “By communalising the issue and demonising the entire Muslim community, the actions of the media pose a serious threat to the life and liberty of Muslims across the country. The demonisation is also an infringement of the right to live with dignity which is also covered under Article 21 of the Constitution.”
On March 30, the Nizamuddin area in Delhi was sealed as an event of the Muslim religious organisation called the Tablighi Jamaat that was attended by hundreds of people who were found to be infected by the novel coronavirus.
According to the Centre, out of the over 4,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, 1,445 cases have been epidemiologically linked to Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin, and over 25,000 local members of the Tablighi Jamaat and their contacts have been quarantined.
The petitioner contended the apex court to issue directions to prevent the communalisation of the Nizamuddin Markaz issue by certain sections of media and electronic media. “Subsequently on March 31, the incident made national headlines. However, certain sections of the media, instead of exercising restraint, reported the entire incident with a communal flavour, with phrases such as Corona Jihad, Corona Terrorism, Islamic Insurrection, Corona bombs etc., It was apparent that the unfortunate incident of the Tablighi Jamat was being used to demonize and blame the entire Muslim community,” said the petition.
