Bihar Man Lynched By Neighbours For Sharing Information About COVID-19 Suspects, 2 Arrested By Local Police

In a shocking case, a young man was allegedly beaten to death by his neighbours for sharing information about COVID-19 suspects in Bihar's Sitamarhi. The incident took place on late Monday night and came to light after the local police arrested two out of seven accused of the murder. The victim has been identified as one Babloo Kumar. The 24-year-old was working in Maharashtra and had returned to his hometown two months back. Amid the exodus of migrant workers to their native places in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the coronavirus lockdown, Kumar had noticed two people who used to work in Maharashtra returning to the village. They had traveled back to Sitamarhi along with their families. Kumar decided to inform the local COVID-19 control room about the people who had returned from Maharashtra. After the health officials got the tip-off from Babloo Kumar, the suspects were tested and ordered for home quarantine. This angered them and their relatives decided to teach a lesson to Kumar. (Coronavirus LIVE Updates)

On Monday, while returning from a relative's place, Kumar was cornered and was brutally thrashed by a group of men. A case has been lodged against seven people—Thaga Mahto, Sudhir Kumar, Vikash Mahto, Madan Mahto, Deepak Kumar and Munna Mahto—on the basis of the statement of Kumar's brother Guddu that was recorded by the Ahiyapur police station in Muzaffarpur district, an HT report said.

Last week, Delhi's Anand Vihar bus station witnessed an unprecedented scene when a sea of humanity turned up after the lockdown-triggered mass migration intensified from the capital. Amid nationwide lockdown, thousands walked to the bus terminus and stood in a queue as long as 3 kilometers. Most of the migrant workers are adamant to leave the national capital as there is currently no job for them and no arrangement for food supplies.

A day after on Sunday, The Centre asked the state governments and Union Territory administrations to effectively seal state and district borders to stop movements of migrant workers during lockdown, officials said. During a video conference with Chief Secretaries and DGPs, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked them to ensure that there is no movement of people across cities or on highways as the lockdown continues."There has been movement of migrant workers in some parts of the country. Directions were issued that district and state borders should be effectively sealed," a government official said. States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways. Only movement of goods should be allowed. District Magistrates and SPs should be made personally responsible for implementation of these directions, the official said.

Meanwhile, in many places in Bihar and elsewhere, those returning back home from states and even from neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan were reported to the police, who, in turn, handed them over to medical authorities for tests and subsequent measures. Some villages in Bihar have gone into lockdown, refusing entry of people even from neighbouring areas, to curb the spread of infection.

(With agency inputs)