NEW DELHI23 August 2020 16:59 ISTSeveral countries have expressed concern over the continued custody of their nationals, say diplomatsFive months after the government ordered a crackdown on all members of the Tablighi Jamaat present at their headquarters or ‘Markaz’ in New Delhi when a number of coronavirus cases were detected, the matter is becoming a diplomatic headache for the government. The MEA has been left to coordinate the various cases with “real time coordination” with the MHA and the Bureau of Immigration, even as they deal with the diplomatic missives, say officials. The U.S. Embassy said it had been in contact with the Government of India on the arrests of about six U.S. nationals. We are in contact with multiple U.S. citizens who were arrested by the Indian authorities in connection with the Tablighi Jamaat case,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said. A judgment by the Bombay High Court on Friday, which quashed FIRs against 29 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members, and criticised the government for making them “scapegoats” during the pandemic has also given other petitioners hope.

Source: The Hindu August 23, 2020 11:26 UTC