Describing members of the Islamic missionary sect Tablighi Jamaat, which organised a religious gathering in Delhi linked to hundreds of coronavirus cases,as “enemies of humanity”, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered charges under the tough law that allows detention without charges for up to a year.

“They will not follow the law, nor will they accept order. They are the enemies of humanity, what they have done with women healthcare providers is a heinous crime. We are invoking the National Security Act against them, we will not spare them,” Yogi Adityanath said.

Yogi’s comments came after allegations of assault on nurses and obscene behaviour of the sect members, at a hospital in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.The Tablighi members, quarantined at Ghaziabad’s MMG Hospital, have been accused of endangering staff by violating coronavirus precautions. They passed lewd comments, roamed about without clothes in the isolation ward, used expletives, refused medicine and kept asking for beedis and cigarettes, according to a written complaint to the police by the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to distribute free masks to the poor amid the COVID-19 crisis. Almost 66 crore masks will be distributed to the poor in different parts of the state. With the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country, the government has made it mandatory for people to wear masks while stepping out of their homes.

On Friday, India witnessed its highest spike in Covid-19 cases with 478 people testing positive, on the same day. The country reported 600 fresh cases in last 24 hours. The total number of COVID-19 patients in India surged to 2,902. Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh registered a huge jump in number of cases this week. The death toll in the country climbed to 68.