Rajasthan: BJP MLA booked for provocative speech on COVID-19

A BJP MLA in Rajasthan has been booked for allegedly making provocative speech against a particular community and trying to spread confusion on the coronavirus pandemic, police said on Saturday.

A case was registered Madan Dilawar, the MLA from Ramganjmandi constituency in Kota district, on Friday under relevant sections of the IPC, the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act, Deputy Superintendent of Police Amrita Duhan said.

The case against the MLA has been forwarded to the CID-CB for further investigation.

A resident of Teachers' Colony in the city lodged a complaint against the MLA for his provocative message made in a video speech.

Dilawar also allegedly issued a press note on April 15 along with the video message and accused the Congress government in the state of favouring a particular community in the coronavirus outbreak for vote bank politics.

The MLA is also accused of inviting people to his residence, disregarding socikal distancing norms, for enlisting names for supply of ration material.

Two more people died of coronavirus during treatment at a state-run hospital in Jaipur, pushing the death toll due to the virus in Rajasthan to 19 on Saturday, an official said.

Also, the total number of cases in the state has risen to 1,270 after 41 more tested positive for COVID-19.