Photos: Nizamuddin religious center becomes India's latest coronavirus hotspot

South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday sanitised Nizamuddin Markaz and the area around it after a religious gathering was held in here earlier this month, that violated lockdown conditions. Several COVID-19 positive cases have been found among those who attended the gathering.

At the centre of storm for holding congregation during prohibitory orders, Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz has been evacuated by authorities and evacuees were sent to quarantine as 37 cases of coronovirus positive have been detected till Tuesday late night.

Sources say a total of 2100 people have been evacuated from the Markaz till early morning on Wednesday and symptomatic patients have been shifted to hospitals. | Above: People who came for the event being taken to LNJP hospital for COVID-19 test, after several people showed symptoms of coronavirus.

Some 441 people from the center are being tested for Covid-19 and 1,447 others have been placed under quarantine after the building was evacuated by health officials and local police.

Infections spread when about 2,100 Muslim devotees, including some visiting from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended a gathering at the Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz in New Delhi's tightly packed Nizamuddin area in mid-March. | Above: People who came for the event being taken to LNJP hospital for COVID-19 test.

Attendees at the religious gathering account for 37 of the 97 infections reported in New Delhi, Chief Minister Kejriwal said, adding that "the whole episode was very wrong" because people at the event had spread out across the country.

Six people who had attended the Delhi gathering died in the southern state of Telangana after contracting the infection, the office of the chief minister said in a tweet. | Above: People wearing masks leave for hospital in a bus from Nizamuddin area.

Another 13 people who attended the same event have also tested positive in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a local government statement said.

The organisers of the gathering in Nizamuddin violated social distancing and quarantine protocols, the Delhi government said in a statement. | Above: South Delhi Municipal Corporation sanitise the area of Nizamuddin Markaz.

The city administration has moved all symptomatic patients to medical facilities and as a safety precaution all non-symptomatic contacts have been moved to quarantine centers.

However in a statement, the Jamaat said its program was discontinued on March 22 - before the nationwide shutdown was announced - but because the city of New Delhi was partially locked down, a large number of its visitors were unable to go back home. It denied violating lockdown norms. | Above: Paramedics note down names of pilgrims before they are taken to a quarantine facility.

Tablighi Jamaat Markaz has been booked for violating the Epidemic Act provisions and also IPC Section 120B (criminal conspiracy). The Crime Branch will also question the Markaz chief as well as Saad Kandhalvi, who organised such a large gathering of the sect's followers in a situation where coronavirus infection spreads quickly.

Crime Branch sources said it would now look for those who participated in the event and then dispersed to various parts of the country, many among them carrying the deadly corona infection. Many states have already reported that such religious followers have already been found corona-positive. Besides, it would also list out foreigners who might have already left for their countries. | Above: Pilgrims stand in a queue and wait to be shifted from Markaz building to hospitals and quarantine centers.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation workers sanitise the area of Nizamuddin Markaz, after people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaats Markaz, tested for COVID-19, in New Delhi.

A DTC Buus driver wears protective dress and shifts people from Nizamuddin Markaz building to hospitals and quarantine centers in New Delhi.

People stand in a queue to board a bus that will be taken to the hospital, at Nizamuddin Area in New Delhi.

A man wearing a protective facemasks looks out while sitting on a special service bus taking them to a quarantine facility in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation sanitise the area of Nizamuddin Markaz, after people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaats Markaz, tested for COVID-19, in New Delhi.

Medical workers tie facemasks to the people who attended Tablighi Markaz of Nizamuddin in New Delhi, and take them to the quranitine facility in Agra.

Medical workers take people who attended Tablighi Markaz of Nizamuddin in New Delhi, to the quaranitne facility after identifying them in Agra.