Raipur, Apr 3 (PTI) Twenty eight people, who came to Chhattisgarh after attending a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, have tested negative for novel coronavirus, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Friday.

Baghel said 107 people in all had arrived after attending the Tablighi Jamaat gathering, and all of them have been quarantined.

"Of these, samples of 50 were sent for testing, of which 28 tested negative so far," Baghel said.

At least 9,000 people participated at a congregation at the organisation's Nizamuddin Markaz last month after which many travelled to various parts of the country for missionary works.

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to light lamps and diyas on April 5 to show the country's resolve to fight the virus outbreak, Baghel said this was not the time for such a move when people are gripped with fear due to the pandemic.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)