Villagers fall ill after eating in ‘shraddh’ of CPI-ML leader in Jehanabad amid lockdown curbs

PATNA: A large number of villagers allegedly fell ill and several of them had to be rushed to different hospitals and clinics after eating in ‘shraddh’ of CPI-ML former state secretary Ram Jatan Sharma at village Amarpura of Baara panchayat under Pali police station area in Jehanabad.
The ‘shraddh’ took place on Friday night and people started falling ill from Saturday morning.
Matter came to light after administration and police got to know about mass illness on Sunday morning following which they swung into action.
Police said Sharma, 90, had died of natural causes in Patna. Police said those who fell ill developed fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.
The gathering took place amid the curbs imposed across the state due to pandemic as per which only 20 people are allowed for such events.
A villager Jaya Prakash from Baara panchayat told TOI over phone on Sunday that at least 500 persons had gathered in the shraddh due to Sharma’s political stature.
“People poured in from at least seven villages including Amarpur Pali, Nigar Pali, Makhdumpur Pali besides Amarpura,” he said.
Prakash said that at least 100 villagers fell ill by Saturday morning and several of them were rushed to different hospitals in Jehanabad and Patna.
However, DM Navin Kumar said that only four persons have fallen ill. “They are undergoing treatment. There is nothing serious. SDO had visited the spot,” he said. Kumar denied that a huge crowd had gathered in the village for the shraddh amid lockdown.
Pali police station SHO cum DSP (probationer) Akash Kumar said that they came to know about the mass illness on Sunday morning.
“An FIR has been lodged by Kako circle officer Dinkar Kumar against Sharma’s son Mrityunjay Kumar for violating lockdown norms. At least 60 persons had gathered in the shraddh which was organised behind closed doors,” he said.
“We are sending ill persons to hospitals via ambulance. Till now we have found four at Kako PHC undergoing treatment,” he said.
A sub-inspector Randhir Kumar, posted at Pali police station, said that Sharma’s son is an engineer in Bengaluru and he had reached Amarpura for rituals.
“No prior information about the shraddha was given to the police. Several of the ill persons took medicines on their own from drug stores and were cured,” he added.