The stain of infamy on Indian Muslims remains unwashed; questions raised on the systematic targeting of Muslims by government and media
NEW DELHI — After over five years of being painted as the face of Covid spread in India, Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad has been cleared of all allegations. The current investigation officer from the Delhi Police Crime Branch has informed senior officials of his department that “nothing objectionable” was found in the speeches of Markaz Nizamuddin head Mohammad Saad Kandhalvi that were recovered from his laptop.
The report comes a month after the Delhi High Court on July 17 quashed the chargesheets in 16 cases registered against 70 Indians for allegedly sheltering foreigners who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation.
In March 2020, when the first wave of the pandemic gripped India, the Nizamuddin Markaz of Tablighi Jamaat was turned into a national controversy. Maulana Saad was accused of defying lockdown rules, holding a religious congregation, and even inciting people to disobey Covid protocols. The allegations gave rise to a wave of hatred against Muslims across the country.
The case goes back to an Ijtima (religious gathering) held at the Markaz in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area in March 2020. Several participants later tested positive for Covid. Media headlines declared that the Jamaat had become a “super spreader,” and Muslims were branded “Corona bombs.”
From villages to big cities, Indian Muslims were harassed. People were called “traitors” for merely belonging to the community. Mosques came under surveillance, and Muslims were cornered in society as carriers of the disease.
“They made us villains overnight,” recalls a senior Jamaati, who asked not to be named. “We were helpless, stuck in lockdown, but we were blamed for every Covid death in the country.”
During the crisis, an audio clip was widely circulated, alleging that Maulana Saad had told followers to ignore Covid restrictions. Based on this, an FIR was lodged against him and others on 31 March 2020.
The police also booked 952 foreign Jamaatis from 36 countries. While most confessed under pressure and paid fines, 44 stood trial.
But the so-called “provocative speech” could not stand scrutiny. “We checked Maulana Saad’s speeches on his laptop and found nothing inflammatory,” the Delhi Police report states.
The high court dismissed charges against 70 Jamaatis in July, observing that they were trapped inside the Markaz because of the sudden lockdown. Far from being lawbreakers, they were simply unable to leave.
The court order made it clear: there was no evidence that these people spread Covid, nor that they behaved improperly with authorities.
Muslim leaders and community representatives are now demanding an apology.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Majeed Ali said, “A conspiracy was hatched to defame Muslims. It is shameful because Jamaatis were the first to donate plasma to save Covid patients. Both the media and the police owe them an apology.”
Prominent Islamic scholar Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali echoed the same. “Maulana Saad Sahib was harassed, and Tablighi Jamaat was insulted. Now the truth is clear. Those who targeted him should apologise. This was not justice; this was victimisation.”
Even though the case has collapsed, the damage remains. For years, Muslims were vilified across television screens and newspapers. Communities were isolated, mistrusted, and attacked socially and emotionally.
“The clean chit is too late,” said Mohammad Ashraf, a social worker in Delhi. “Families have suffered, reputations were destroyed. Who will clean the stain from the minds of ordinary people?”
The question lingers: Can any report or judgment undo the harm caused by hate-filled narratives during one of the darkest health crises India has faced?
