2 deployed in Himachal CM's security test COVID-19 positive

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, August 13

Panic spread through Kangra district on Thursday after the driver of the escort vehicle of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and one of his security personnel tested positive for Coronavirus.

Most of the officials of Kangra district administration who accompanied the CM during his trip, including the deputy commissioner and the SP, are getting themselves tested. All the ministers, MLAs of BJP from Kangra were in close contact with the people who have tested positive and have been advised isolation.

Rajya Sabha member Indu Goswami has got herself tested and claimed that she has tested negative.

What has triggered panic in BJP cadres in Kangra is the information that the former Palampu-based office-bearer of the party, Sanjeev Soni, has tested positive. Soni was very active during the CM tours and had participated in the programs of the party held at Jaisinghpur, Baijnath and Palampur.

Tracing contacts of Soni would be a massive task for the district health authorities and these could run into thousands including the BJP party workers and leaders.

During his three-day tour in Kangra from August 6 to 9 the CM had held meetings with the district officials, MLAs and ministers from Kangra. On June 7, CM and his staff had participated in the virtual conference over crafts with union minister for textiles from Dehra. In that meeting, the independent MLA Hoshiar Singh and his followers violated social distancing norms and their photos of crowding the CM’s meeting place went viral. The CM also held a meeting of party workers in a hotel on the Dhaliara-Chintpurni road.

On June 8, the CM laid foundation stones and inaugurated various development schemes in Jaisinghpur area where a few students carried placards resenting that a bridge in their area was not constructed. The BJP workers were accused of tearing placards of students and here also social distancing norms were violated.

The CM also visited Baijnath to inaugurate development scheme. However, BJP MLA Mulkh Raj Premi organized a workers program despite resistance from district officials. The CM spent the night on June 8 in Palampur PWD rest house where hundreds of party workers came to meet him.

On June 9, the CM laid foundation stones and inaugurated developmental schemes in Palampur and Sullah assembly constituencies before leaving for Shimla.

Sources here said that the tracing all those with the CM staff and BJP leader who has tested positive might be an "impossible task for administration". They are now only hoping that it does not leads to a community spread in most populous district of the state.

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