Controversial Maharashtra Minister Jitendra Awhad Quarantine Himself After Possible Contact With Coronavirus Positive Cop

Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad on Monday decided to quarantine himself after he came in contact with a police official who tested positive for novel coronavirus, PTI reported.

A police official with whom the minister interacted recently has tested positive for coronavirus.

Awhad voluntarily took the decision to self-quarantine as a precautionary measure even though he has not tested positive.

Awhad represents Kalwa-Mumbra Assembly constituency in Thane district, where several coronavirus cases have been found in the last couple of weeks.

According to reports, a senior police inspector who led an operation to nab 21 Tablighi Jamaat members hiding in a mosque in Mumbra, Maharashtra tested positive for coronavirus.

Thirteen Bangladeshi and eight Malaysian nationals who had attended the Tablighi Jammat event at Nizamuddin area in Delhi, which has emerged as epicentre of India’s Coronavirus outbreak, were hiding in a mosque and school in Mumbra.

The Mumbra police also registered two offences against the mosque and the school trustees for giving shelter to the foreign nationals and not informing authorities.

Awhad was recently in the eye of a storm after a 40-year-old civil engineer from Thane alleged that he was beaten up at Awhad’s residence. According to the victim, police came to his house and had taken him under the pretext of some case but instead of the police station, they led him to Awhad’s residence where he was beaten. The victim also said that the minister was present during this incident.

An FIR has been filed against Awhad’s supporters which include the minister’s bodyguard for the assaulting the civil engineer.