MBBS book linking Covid-19 outbreak to Tablighi Jamaat withdrawn in Maharashtra

The publishers of the third edition of "Essentials of Medical Microbiology" have already withdrawn the book in wake of alleged negative remarks regarding the Tablighi Jamaat which enraged the Student Islamic Organisation (SIO), the student wing of Jamaat-i-Islami (Hind).

Following the outrage, the authors of the book Dr. Apurba Sastry and Dr. Sandhya Bhatt have apologized stating "If they inadvertently hurt the sentiments of a group of people".

Times of India reports that commenting on the COVID-19 scenario in India as of August 2020, the book stated, "Subsequent to the Tablighi Jamaat, a religious congregation that took place in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque in early March 2020, there was an explosive outbreak of Covid-19 with 4,000 cases."

When the paragraph came to the notice of students of SIO, they criticized the authors for allegedly " misappropriation of text."

An SIO (Maharashtra) spokesperson told TOI, " There is no epidemiological study that corroborates the claim that Covid-19 spread because of the TJ congregation. It was vilification by the media and the authors of this book too bought it without crosschecking facts. We are glad they have accepted their mistake and withdrawn the book."

However, the authors have apologized and the publishers have already withdrawn the copy. "Once it was brought to our notice, we apologized and the publishers have withdrawn the book. Changes will be made in the new edition," said Dr. Sastry. "The matter is closed."

According to the daily, the Supreme Court and various high courts have previously come down heavily on authorities for blaming the Tablighi Jamaat for the spread of the epidemic and for creating hazards for its members, including foreigners, many of whom were arrested and jailed. The instructions came following a religious event held in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last year by the Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary organization.