Jharkhand: Two booked for posting virus related rumours on

The Dumka police on Monday registered FIRs against two persons for allegedly spreading coronavirus- related rumours on social media, a senior official said.

Dumka Deputy Commissioner Rajeswari B. said the FIRs were registered with the Shikaripara police station against Amol Sekhar Tudu and Varun Pal.

The two belong to Shikaripara block in Dumka district, the police said.

In a tweet message, the DC said, Do not spread rumours & create panic in the district, we will take strict action against people doing it.

She said barring some main roads all the border areas of the Dumka district have been closed.

Pakur district Deputy Commissioner Kuldip Choudhary said a bus carrying migrant labourers was stopped on the borders of Mahespur and Littipara and they were sent to a quarantine facility for fourteen days after the medical tests.

They would be sent to their homes after the quarantine period, the DC said.

Choudhary also told reporters in Pakur that directions were issued afresh to the sub-divisional officers, circle officers and block development officers to seal borders of the district and any person coming to the district should be tested before being sent to the nearest quarantine/isolation facility.

A letter from Transport Secretary K. Ravi Kumar, a copy of which has been released to the press, directed Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar to take appropriate action against a person for fleeing from Chhattisgarh to Dhanbad amid the nationwide lockdown for containing spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The man identified as Sumant Kumar is a native of Dhanbad but was presently residing in Korba in Chhattisgarh.

A Giridih report quoting Nimiaghat police station officer Sailendra Mahato said that one person died and two others were injured when their pick-up van collided with a tanker on GT road under the police station area Monday.

The van was returning from West Bengals Asansol after delivering vegetables to ease supply during the lockdown period, the police officer said.

The deceased was identified as Sonu Joshi, who hailed from Kalipahadi under South police station, Asansol.

An official release quoting RIIMS Director Dr D K Singh said that the isolation ward has 100 beds and fourteen ventilators and the hospital has the capability to test as many as 180 samples per day and necessary steps are being taken to increase its testing capability.

Officials said there was no report of any confirmed coronavirus case in the state so far.