Isolation of accused delays harassment case against Tablighis

NEW DELHI: The investigation into the complaint against six Tablighi Jamaat members, for allegedly harassing four nurses at MMG hospital in Ghaziabad, will now take over a week.
One of the "accused" has been tested positive for COVID-19 and taken to the isolation ward while the rest have been quarantined for the next 10 days, police officials told ET.

They, however, said inquiry into the incident has already begun with a female police official looking into it.

"The nurses had alleged that the members were not fully clothed and they were playing romantic songs on the phone which made the nurses feel unsafe. They had also refused to take medicines and kept sitting in a group, violating rules of social distancing. Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the allegations are true as the nurses repeated whatever they had said in the written complaint. But we are waiting to get a statement from the group members which can happen only after their quarantine period is over,” a police official said on condition of anonymity.

The official, however, said since the alleged incident took place in the main hall, there were no CCTV recording of the same. There were no independent witnesses of the incident either as the only people present there were the nurses and two hospital staff.

A member of the Tablighi Jamaat said the incident has shocked the group. One of them said several members, particularly those from the southern states and some from eastern Uttar Pradesh, “wore a lungi or a dhoti which could have been perceived as inappropriate in the hospital”. Shahid Ali, the lawyer for Tablighi Jamaat, demanded video evidence. “Over the last few days, a lot of misinformation has been spread about the group. We can believe the allegations only when there is proper evidence. Tablighis are known for their modest and low-profile ways of living and particularly for their proper behavior towards women.”

A complaint was lodged by chief medical superintendent of MMG District Hospital against five Tablighi Jamaat members on Thursday night. Ghaziabad CMO NK Gupta said FIRs have already been lodged. “The nurses told us about the romantic songs they were playing… and there is more than one nurse. Women have to be trusted as they know and understand what intended harassment is and what is not. Rest the investigation will reveal,” he said.