New Delhi: A congregation of Islamic missionaries, the Tablighi Jamaat event, held in the national capital on March 23 was without a doubt India's worst coronavirus vector.

Of over 23,000 Covid-19 positive cases in India, nearly a fifth are related to the religious gathering at the Markaz, the Jamaat headquarters located in Delhi's Nizamuddin. Soon after the incident came to light, the missionary group's leader Maulana Saad Kandhavli was booked for culpable homicide and was labelled "careless and criminal".

This led to some sections of the society severely criticising the minority community, and blaming them for the spread of the pandemic in the country. Since then, the community has faced a spate of violence, boycott and hate speeches, which has only worsened.

But with the onset of the holy month of Ramzan, the members of this community are coming forward to help the same people they are accused of infecting.

Maulana Saad, the jamaat chief, recently appealed to coronavirus survivors to donate blood plasma for infected people. He also urged all Muslims to pray at home during Ramzan.

Today as Delhi government struggles to find donors for the Convalescent Plasma Therapy (that seems to be a ray of hope in fighting Covid-19 battle), CM Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to all people, regardless of religion, who have recovered from the coronavirus disease to come forward and donate plasma for serious Covid-19 patients.

Sources in the Delhi Health Department have told News18.com that of 1,068 coronavirus positive Tablighis in Delhi hospitals, around 300 (who have recovered after testing double negative) have decided to donate plasma to severely ill patients in the capital.

After opening their fast on the first day of Ramzan in Delhi hospitals, Tablighi Jamat members had given their samples. Out of them, around 300 have come negative — 190 in Narela, 51 in Sultanpur and 42 in Mangoli. The state government will soon be getting consent signed from the members for Plasma Donation.