Ramgarh family ostracised; Jharkhand CM orders probe

TNN | Apr 24, 2020, 05:00 IST

Ramgarh: Chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday directed Ramgarh deputy commissioner Sandeep Singh through a tweet to look into the incident where a family at Murudih village in Gola block was allegedly ostracised by neighbours on suspicions that one of its members, who recently returned from Chhattisgarh, is infected by the novel coronavirus.
Posting a video where children of the family are seen crying, Soren wrote, “I urge all not to believe in rumours. It is important to maintain social distancing but also connect hearts.”
On Thursday, a woman from the family was stopped from fetching water from a tubewell by the locals. “The woman was told by her neighbours that water from the tubewell is used for preparing meals under the Mukhyamantri Didi Kitchen. Hence, she was forcibly stopped from fetching water as the locals alleged that she might infect others with the virus,” a block official said.
Soon after Soren’s tweet, an administrative team, headed by Gola block development officer, visited Murudih to probe the matter. The deputy commissioner said, “Lawful action will be taken against those who are ostracising the family.”
SP Prabhat Kumar said, “No positive case of Covid-19 has been reported in Ramgarh so far. The man, who is a driver by profession and recently returned from Chhattisgarh, has been advised to be on home quarantine.”