SRINAGAR: The family of J&K’s first Covid-19 casualty, a 65-year-old preacher, has contested claims by health officials that the deceased may have put hundreds of people at risk by attending two religious gatherings last week and concealing his travel history in the past fortnight. Four people he was in contact with have already tested positive for Covid-19.The man attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin travelled by air, train and road to Delhi, UP and back to J&K before dying of Covid-19, PTI quoted officials as saying. He also went to Jammu, where he visited several mosques. Among his possible victims is a doctor battling for life in a Jammu hospital.After the businessman preacher from Sopore died on Thursday, officials drew up a 400-plus list of primary contacts with whom he had interacted in the days preceding his death. Officials said the Kashmiri businessman left Delhi on March 9 and took a sleeper coach of a train for Deoband, where he attended a meeting at the Darul Uloom seminary. Two days later, on March 11, he took another train to Jammu. Officials said many of his copassengers have been tracked and quarantined.“My father had no recent international travel history. Contrary to allegations that he ran away from hospital, he was advised home quarantine,” said the man’s son.However, sources said the preacher first visited Jhelum Valley Medical College and Hospital in Srinagar on Saturday after having difficulty in breathing. A preliminary screening revealed Covid-19 symptoms but he allegedly fled the hospital on being referred to SKIMS Medical College in Soura, the nodal centre for coronavirus cases in J&K. National Health Mission director Bhupinder Kumar appealed to everyone who might have come in contact with the preacher to volunteer for testing.