Mohammed Hussain
Hyderabad: Following the alert sounded by the Ministry of Home Affairs to screen the refugees with a travel history to Delhi, the Telangana State Police have identified 17 Rohingyas on Sunday who were illegally staying in Nalgonda town.
Furthermore, the police have filed charges against all 17 and registered a case under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule).
To trace the missing Rohingya Muslims who has been linked to Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) event in Delhi, Hyderabad City Police and Rachakonda Police started looking into Rohingya refugee camps based in the city.
The Special Branch (SB) officers and other police personnel have been appointed to find out if there are any missing persons who had attended the TJ’s Delhi event.
Speaking to siasat.com, B. Bhaskar, Station Head Officer of Balapur police station under whose limits these refugee camps fall said, “We are keeping regular track of the Rohingyas’ movement in their camps, nodal officers have been regularly testing them but till now none of them have tested positive for Coronavirus. We are trying to identify them through their travel history.”
When the siasat.com reporter visited the Rohingya camps based in the outskirts of the city, interacting with a few camp leaders they shared that there are over 1400 Rohingya families currently staying in 21 refugee camps.
A Rohingya refugee stated that earlier in the last two days police along with some healthcare, officials visited the camps and inquired about their travel history. They then took around 15 persons with them who had a travel history to Haryana.
He also shared that some of the people who had been part of the Delhi event were staying along in mid-March as the lockdown was imposed they ran away to Nalgonda.
When inquiring with officials, they informed that over 15 persons who were picked up from the camps were shifted to the Fever Hospital (Koranti) in Nallakunta. After collecting their sample the results came out as negative and they were sent back to their camps by asking them to follow the ‘Home Quarantine’ protocol period 14 days. The ‘Home Quarantine’ was stamped on their left hands.
Moreover, the police along with medical officials conducted a meeting with all the camp leaders and asked them not to hide anyone in their camps who had come from another state or country as COVID-19 is spreading. They all agreed to inform the authorities whenever someone with a travel history to another state arrives at their camps.
However, following the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the assigned police officers along with medical staff will visit the camps and conduct regular medical check-ups and provide food and ration to the refugees.
While in a recent interview with TOI, Union Minister of State—Home, Kishan Reddy said, “I urge attendees of Delhi TJ’s event to come forward and get tested for COVID-19, as the centre and state governments want to protect their lives, family and other people.
The Minister also mentioned “The ministry has information about 27 from the state are missing — 14 from Nalgona, five from Jagityal and eight from Balapur in Hyderabad — are missing. The authorities have launched a search.”
mohammedhussain.reporter@gmail.com