New Delhi, March 31: The foreigners who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin area violated the visa rules, Home Ministry officials were reported as saying on Tuesday. The attendees were on a tourist visa to the country which bars them in participating in programmes to prach religious ideologies, top Ministry sources said. Their case came under media glare after several who attended the event tested positive for coronavirus. Catch all the live updates related to coronavirus outbreak in India and other parts of the nation.

"Home Ministry has found violation of visa rules by foreigners who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin, Delhi," government sources were reported as saying by news agency ANI.

"As per policy guidelines of Indian visa issued by the Government of India, preaching religious ideologies, making speeches in religious places, distribution of audio-visual display/ pamphlets pertaining to religious ideologies is not allowed. All foreigners who attended may be barred," the MHA sources further added.

Update by ANI

The congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid was attended by nearly 200 persons, including around 100 foreign delegates. The attendees are feared to have come into close contact with at least 2,000 persons in the NIzamuddin area. The authorities traced most of the individuals and sent them into quarantine.

Out of those tested so far in the national capital for attending the congregation, 24 have tested positive for coronavirus. Six from Telangana who attended the event died of COVID-19 on Monday. The attendees of Jamaat event also travelled to Kashmir, with some of the coronavirus cases in the Valley being linked to them.

The toll of COVID-19 cases in India climbed to 1,251 in India, with the death toll surging to 42. Globally, the pandemic has affected more than 786,000 so far and claimed more than 37,000 lives. Italy, the worst-affected, recorded more than 11,500 deaths, followed by above 7,700 fatalities in Spain, around 3,300 in China and over 3,100 in the United States.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2020 12:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).