Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on Friday sought to know whether action was being taken action against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator from Thane Milind Patil for naming a novel coronavirus patient.
COVID-19 | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
In a letter to Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Mr. Somaiya alleged that all the three had named a COVID-19 patient in different instances, and as per the State government’s directions, naming the patient was not allowed.
The BJP leader’s letter comes a day after Mr. Deshmukh issued directions to the police to take action against an English news channel for airing a ‘fake news’ in which it named Mr. Awhad’s daughter and falsely said she was tested positive for COVID-19.
Also read | 34 new cases reported in Maharashtra as tally goes up to 3,236
He said, “Mr. Awhad in his interview to a news channel named a reporter who was tested positive. Mr. Patil had said earlier that Mr. Awhad was found positive. Mr. Thackeray in his Facebook live named a six-month-old coronavirus patient.”
Clear guidelines
The BJP leader said the Home Minister had time and again said that naming a positive patient was prohibited. “These are a few of the examples where the said directions had been violated. We expect action will be taken in these cases. We also expect that you will inform us about the action that your department has taken.”
Mr. Somaiya also sent a letter to the Thane Police seeking action against Mr. Patil for naming the Housing Minister as a positive patient. “I have sent the video clip of Mr. Patil in which he is naming the minister. If Mr. Awhad was positive for the virus, how did he attend the government meetings, and if he is lying, then a case should be registered against him.”
The Home Minister could not be reached for comment.
