Letter Coronavirus Tablighi Jamaat

1. Joint Memorandum of organisations, regarding the spread of hate in the
context of the COVID 19 epidemic crisis
Jaipur
5th April, 2020
Sh. Rajeev Swaroop
ACS Home
GOR, Jaipur
Sh. Bhupinder Singh,
DGP, Rajasthan
Sh. Anand Srivastava,
Police Commissioner,
Jaipur
Sh. Prafulla Kumar,
Police Commissioner,
Jodhpur
Subject :
Dear Sir,
It has been brought to our notice over the last few days that Muslims are
becoming an easy target and being made the scapegoat for the spread of Corona
Virus. The electronic and print media communalised the case of the Tabligh
Jamaat, including the Government which put out data on the spread of the illness,
with Tabligh Jamaat related cases as a separate column. We can understand its
significance as a part of an internal monitoring process for this public health crisis.
But it helped communalise the problem.
However all this has caused a section of the already paranoid ordinary middle
class and lower middle class to see the Muslim community as a transmitter of the
epidemic.
Jaipur

2. The narrative of the Muslim as the perpetrator has had such an impact that in the
city of Jaipur, a section of the people are even preventing Muslims, who are fruit
and vegetables vendors from entering the public space of housing colonies. Or
after having bought the fruit, on learning the name of the vendor, returning the
fruit or men in the streets, insisting on Aadhar cards being shown and in one case
also asking for a photocopy of the card. It has even impacted the mind set of the
police that there has been an example of one policeman driving away two
Musllim vendors. ( See the four testimonies of discrimination against Muslim
Vendors in Sitapura Industrial Area, Jaipur at the end of the letter)
Jodhpur
Similarly in one poor area of Nagori Gate Jodhpur, the Hindu neighbourhood
fearing that the Muslim Mazdoors living next door maybe transmitters of the
illness came and broke the doors of their house in the middle of the night and
verbally abused the individuals. They saved themselves by locking the door to the
firstfloor where they were sleeping and calling the Nagori gate thana police.
Luckily, the police reached in 15 minutes and also brought along the owner of the
hose. The police drove away the aggressive neighbours. Next day, frightened of
the possibilty of further attack the 17 Muslim Migrant Mazdoors shifted to
another colony. The Nagori gate police took their photo identities for its records.
When they moved to the new area, somebody tipped the police of newcomers in
the area. This got the local Thana to interrogate them once again and collect their
documents. Later a team of doctors was called in who got them screened through
a thermal scanners and found all of them without a health risk. The Mazdoors
who are skilled embroidery workers, are now in a Muslim Ghetto and requested
that they donot want any further action as they have had enough of people and
police interrogation.
Bharatpur
The Bharatpur case, of denial of health care facilities to a pregnant woman, as
she was Muslim, which resulted in the death of the baby, is unpardonable. And
we are sure criminal action must have followed suit as it resulted in death of the
baby and increased morbidity for the mother.

3. Many such instances are being shared with us on a daily basis. WE have also
received such testimonies from Chaksu, Tonk and Kota. We have showed only
some instances to show how the seeds of the communlisation around the Corona
Virus have been sowed. This has serious implications in the long and short term
We feel that in the context of widespread hunger, breakdown in people's
livelihoods and the onslaught on people's health caused by this virus, we have
taken a decision not criminalise the perpetrators of hate. However, we fear that
this can become the precursor to lynching. As on the social media amongst the
people of the majoritarian community, one of the main discourse is the Muslim as
transmitter, through licking plates, spitting on fruit and other means.
We reiterate that before this becomes a reason for lynching and harming and
injuring the Muslim community people and before we see the people of the
Muslim community retaliate, this rising expression of hate, should be stopped at
the earliest.
IT is our case that
 firstly the police machinery requires to be educated and they have to be
reassured not to fear the poor Muslim. As they also end up targeting the
poor Muslim.
 Secondly, the ordinary citizen of the state also has to reassured and
explained that no one community is a transmitter, despite the Tabligh
Jamaat expereince.
 Third, a section of the Muslim community is feeling humiliated and
agitated, and this could snowball into retaliatory violence. We need to
ensure them that the law violators will be brought to book so that they
donot take law into their own hands.
The intervention required by you has to be done urgently and has to be
widespread. We hope that you will not disappoint us.

4. Use of Violence by the police against the so called violators of Curfew.
Before we conclude, we would also like to state the horrible state of affairs and
the use of violence by the police when people step out to buy food and
medicines. With the supplies of cooked food, dry rations being so erratic, that
people are bound to step out. Images of police beating up women, old men and
then two days ago in Jaipur the Bhatta Basti Thana, also raised their batons to
beat up activists Nisha Sidhu of NFIW and Sumitra Chopra, Jaipur District
secretary, CPIM, when they went to rescue one woman who had been beaten up
by the police. In Chandpole area, one person who took food regularly from us
shared how he broke his bones, as he had stepped out to fetch food.
with regards,
Kavita Srivastava, Mukesh Goswami and Rashid Hussain
on behalf of
● PUCL Rajasthan - Kavita Srivastava, Pappu Kumawat, Akhil Chaudhary
● Center for Equity Studies, Rajasthan- Komal Srivastava, Hemant Mohanpuriya, Babulal
● Nirman and General Labour Union - Harkesh Bugalia
● Majdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan- Nikhil Dey
● Rajasthan Asangathit Mazdoor Union- Mukesh Goswami
● Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti- Anil Sharma
● Helping Hands Jaipur- Naeem Rabbani, Dr. Rasheed Hussain, Narul Absaar, Waqar
Ahmed.
● AUMA Foundation- Dr. Sunita Sharma
● Jamait-e-Islami Hind: Mohammed Nazmiudidn
Corona Virus Discrimination Testimonies
We are sharing four such testimonies of Sitapura Industrial area, Jaipur where
they were stopped by members of the majoritarian community from selling fruits
and vegetable. We have changed the names of the vendors as they donot want
police action against the perpetrators of this crime.

5. Testimony 1:
Safdar and Faiz
Occupation: Fruit Seller
Residence: Sector 35, Pratap Nagar, Jaipur
Date of Incident: 4th
April, 2020
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm.
Area of Incident: Sector 3, Sector 6, Pratap Nagar, Jaipur
Safdar was doing his usual rounds in Sector 3, Pratap Nagar when 15-20 men surrounded him.
They asked his name and said we’ll break your legs if we see you here again. A senior bearded
Muslim vegetable vendor had also been beaten in the area. Earlier in the evening, an older
woman who had asked him to pack 1 kg of bananas, when she learnt of his name, asked him to
get out of the area.
Many people have still bought fruits from him through the day. This happened in the evening.
Faiz, his brother who was also selling fruits in the area was asked his name and ID. Although the
Sector 3 market area has more than 15 to 20 fruit and vegetable sellers, the police singled him
out and asked him his name and used abusive language along with asking him to leave the area.
Testimony 2:
Md. Rafi (Third Brother of Safdar and Faiz)
Age: 22-23 years.
Occupation: Street Vendor, Fruit Seller
Residence: Sector 35, Pratap Nagar, Jaipur
Date of Incident: 5th April
Area of incident: Sector 18, Pratap Nagar, Jaipur
Rafi has been vending in the area for about 3 years. He was doing business as usual in a street
in Pratap Nagar, Sector 18 when a woman stopped to buy oranges from him. As she was
buying, the woman from the nearby grocery store (a neighbour) called out to her and showed
her something on her cell phone (likely that video of Muslim man licking fruit to infect). As they
approached Wasim again, he overheard the woman tell her daughter they won’t buy from him
anymore. Rafi asked them if they still wanted the oranges he had weighed for them. They
declined saying they had already bought them at home. Rafi then left and settled in Bhairo
circle to rest in the afternoon.
A customer who had bought fruits from him right before the lady came looking for him with his
son on a bike and demanded to know his name and see his Adhaar card. Rafi showed them an
image of his Adhaar he had on his mobile and asked why they wanted it. The customer then
calmed down and told him the lady mentioned above had told him he will get corona from

6. Rafi’s fruits. She also alleged he was some new guy who had come to the area for the first time.
The father-son took an image of Rafi’s Id on whatsapp and reassured him saying, “Koi bat nahi
beta, hota rehta hai, tum to dhanda karo apna.” He in fact called the woman who had warned
him against Rafi right in front of him and told her he had verified him and seen his ID and that
he was a harmless, regular fruit seller. She then fabricated a story where she defended her
actions saying she had actually asked Rafi to show her his ID but Rafi had refused and tried to
run away. Rafi smirked saying, “Where could I have possibly run off to, and how? I push a
cartful of fruits, it’s no helicopter after all.” She cut the call when the customer tried to make
the lady talk to Rafi himself.
Rafi talked to the man and told him he was a frequent seller in the area since the last three
years. He had even sold fruits to the lady at the grocery who showed the video many a times.
He further reassured the man that he had other customers in sector 18 and if he was still
anxious, he could talk to one of them. He dialed the number of a resident who he is friendly
with (no name because Rafi is illiterate and could not save his number with name) who
confirmed to the man that he indeed knew ‘mullah ji’ and had been purchasing from him for
many years. The man was relieved and talked to Rafi amicably thereafter and left.
Rafi says policemen have also been talking to vendors, specially Muslims very badly and saying
they are spreading corona. The Jamaat issue from Delhi is being brought up again and again.
Two other sellers he knew, a Hindu and a Muslim, were asked to carry their ID cards at all time
by the police when they were doing their rounds.
Testimony 3:
Faizal
Age: 20 years
Occupation: Street vendor, Fruit seller
Residence: Sector 35 and Sector 8, Pratap Nagar
Date of Incident: 4th
April 2020
Area of Incident: Sector 3, Pratap Nagar, Jaipur
It’s been 7-8 years since Faizal has been selling fruits in the area. Yesterday a guy who runs a
medical store in the area told him that he is a Muslim and that his people are spreading corona.
Faizal responded saying it’s a disease and can happen to anyone but the guy, who knew him
and had in fact bought fruits from him many a times before the pandemic, said he’s not calling
the police just yet because he was familiar with him and but he shouldn’t be seen in the area
again or he will have his limbs broken.
Earlier in the evening in Sector 8, Pratap Nagar, women sitting in the mohalla saw him and told
him to stay at least 15 meters away, that no one was going to buy wares from Muslims and that
he should show his ID. “ Aap 35 sector wale jamaati hain aur aap corona faila rahe hain”.

7. Faizal did not show his ID to them because he was afraid why he was being asked for it and how
they would use his private information. They have beaten many Muslim vendors who went to
sell their wares today and thrown them out. They are asking for ID’s from everyone and
throwing out the Muslims. The Hindus vendors are still operating. They have lathi charged a
senior muslim man and even the police is threatening them with violence.
All names have been changed to protect the identity
Control Room 48, Van Vihar Colony, Tonk Road, Jaipur.
Phone number: Kavita Srivastava 9351562965, Mukesh Goswami: 9468862200,
Rashid Hussain: 8233575757