The criminal negligence, indeed culpability, displayed by the Tablighi Jamaat in organising a large religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area in March in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak was only compounded by the stunning inaction of the authorities. Days after the Delhi government had banned gathering of more than 200 people, which was later modified to not more than 50 people, how did more than 2,000 people gather in the Tablighi premises?

Why were visas issued to so many foreign representatives to attend the congregation, some from Covid-19 hotspots? Now that coronavirus cases, emanating from Nizamuddin have shown a steep rise and several fatalities, too, have been recorded, there is a nationwide hunt to track those who had attended the meet from different states of India and abroad and those they had come in contact with.

The spread is far and wide as participants came from almost every corner of India, including the Andaman islands. It will be an uphill task. The Home Ministry, the Intelligence Bureau, Delhi Police and the Delhi administration must, in that order, take the blame for this fiasco.

The Tablighi leaders’ decision to hold a large religious congregation was unpardonable and has seriously dented efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. Even though the lockdown had not been announced when the meet was held and other places of worship and indeed Parliament were also open, it is difficult to justify such a large gathering at such a juncture.

Most Muslim clerics have roundly condemned the Tablighi misadventure and exhorted members of the community to practise social distancing. However, the unfortunate but entirely predictable fallout of the incident is the attempt by a section of the media and the rightwing to communalise the issue. The entire Muslim community is being demonised for the misdemeanours of a bunch of zealots.

At a time when the country must unite and rise above caste, communal and class differences to combat the deadly virus, there is little need for this divide. Offensive hashtags such as ‘corona jihad’ and ‘Tablighi virus’ betray a mindset that is bent on exploiting divisions even during these difficult times. Instead of laying the blame squarely on all those responsible, an entire community is sought to be targeted.

It is imperative for the country, already battling a crumbling economy and the spectre of unemployment and starvation staring at millions of migrant workers, to hunker down and ensure that the virus is contained swiftly and effectively. There is no room for complacency as any significant spike in cases as witnessed in developed countries will only overburden the Indian healthcare system which is already straining at the seams. India, so far, seems to have contained the spread of the deadly virus more effectively than most, but that is no thanks to the Jamaat.