Azamgarh (UP):
Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former MP Ramakant Yadav has been booked for giving misleading statements pertaining to COVID-19, police said on Saturday.
“The government is spreading rumours on coronavirus to divert attention from NRC, CAA, unemployment and price rise, so that people do not protest against the government,” Yadav said at the party office here on Friday.
He also claimed that coronavirus can infect people in other parts of the world, not India.
“If there is any coronavirus patient, bring him to me. I will hug him, and get his medical treatment done,” Yadav had said.
DIG range Azamgarh, Subhash Chandra Dubey on Saturday said, “On one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very serious vis-a-vis the outbreak of COVID-19, and utmost precautions are being taken, the statement made by Ramakant Yadav is misleading.”
He added that case has been registered against Yadav at Sidhari police station under IPC sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
