Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday held Tablighi Jamaat members responsible for significantly contributing to the doubling of coronavirus cases in India. Blaming the Islamic sect for the spread of COVID-19 in the country, the chief minister said being infected with a virus is not a crime but to hide it is definitely one for which strict action would be taken.

Speaking at a programme of a news channel on Saturday, Adityanath said, "The role of Tablighi Jamaat was most condemnable. To get a disease is not a crime but to hide a disease which is infectious is definitely a crime. And this crime has been done by those associated with the Tablighi Jamaat."

"In Uttar Pradesh and other places where the spread of the coronavirus has been seen, Tablighi Jamaat is behind it. Had they not hidden the disease and went about like its carriers, then perhaps we would have controlled the coronavirus outbreak to a large extent," he had said.

CM Yogi said that in UP, more than one thousand cases are related to Jamaat. Over the last four weeks, as many as 2487 people got infected with the COVID-19. While 689 people recovered, over 40 people lost their lives to the deadly virus in the state.

Speaking on whole, India records a total of 39,980 cases with over 2800 active cases at present. Though more than 10,600 have recovered, 1301 succumbed to the infection.

30% of Coronavirus cases in the country have been traced to Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in March in Delhi. Thousands, including foreigners, gathered at the 100-year-old mosque complex near Nizamuddin locality, with hundreds also staying in a six-floor dormitory on the campus. After attending the event, several members travelled across the country, with many of them carrying the virus. This surged the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.