Himachal: Corona+ man infects others, booked for attempt to murder
A man in Himachal Pradesh was charged with attempt to murder on Tuesday after he infected four other people, including his two-year-old daughter, with coronavirus. The accused works as a driver and returned home to Chamba from Baddi town. He tested COVID-19 positive on May 6. Reports said the man partied with his friends upon returning and junked all the rules of social distancing.
Director-General of Police SR Mardi said the accused flouted home quarantine and met three of his friends. "They not only drank together but also shared cigarettes," he said, calling their behavior "suicidal". The friends tested positive on May 10. Worryingly, the man's daughter suffers from a heart ailment. A case was registered under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Before the Chamba native, police booked a man in Hamirpur who called a barber to his home for a haircut. The man had returned from Gujarat and tested positive, while the barber gave services to other people too. Separately, another Ahmedabad returnee jumped quarantine to buy liquor, and was booked on his wife's complaint. He was placed in institutional quarantine, Mardi revealed.
Mardi said after the disease subsides, people will have to return to court for hearings. Emphasizing on social distancing, the top cop cited an example of a man from Jogindernagar, who recently returned from Jaisalmer. As there was no empty room in his house, he pitched a tent in the fields. Mardi also asked citizens to complain about violators on WhatsApp number 94591-00100.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus tally in Himachal Pradesh swelled to 66, with six people, including a head constable, testing positive on Tuesday. He was posted at Panchrukhi police station in Kangra and the premises have been sealed. "All staff have been quarantined. The patient was involved in various duties and contact tracing is being done," said police spokesperson SP Khushal Sharma.
"It is first of its kind case in Himachal. The COVID-19 cases have increased after people started returning home from outside the state," Mardi said. The state government has ordered that those returning to Himachal from red zones have to remain in quarantine.
