Maha: Case against BJP MLC for visiting containment zone

A case was registered against a BJP MLC for allegedly entering a COVID-19 containment zone in Ashti area in Maharashtra's Beed district, police said on Tuesday.

A case was registered against Suresh Dhas, a member of the Legislative Council from Ashti, for allegedly entering a containment zone in the city on Monday, an official said.

"Dhas entered Patan Sangvi, a containment zone in his constituency, and met residents of the sealed area on Monday morning," Ashti police station in-charge Madhav Suyavanshi said.

A case was registered against him under section 188 (disobeying an order issued by a public servant) and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, he said.

Dhas told reporters that local people in the containment zone had panicked after seven persons from a family tested positive for coronavirus.

"I had gone there to give them courage. I spoke to people while maintaining proper social distance. But the administration took preventive action against me which is generally taken against a habitual criminal which I am not," the legislator said.