Lalu Yadav's party RJD has demanded his release from prison on parole, citing a coronavirus threat to the 72-year-old former Bihar Chief Minister at a hospital where he has been staying. A patient in the same ward as Lalu Yadav and treated by the same doctors has tested positive for COVID-19.
The politician's doctor is being quarantined.
"It's really worrisome to know about the doctors treating my dad may have got infected by #COVID. I join 12 crore Biharis to echo their concerns. At 72 with multiple life threatening chronic diseases, He is most vulnerable to coronavirus and hence should be taken care of with utmost precaution," tweeted Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Yadav's son and de facto chief of the RJD or Rashtriya Janata Dal in his absence.
Lalu Yadav, jailed for corruption in Jharkhand, has spent a large part of his sentence at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
"Today, a patient who had been admitted in the medicine department for the past three weeks was found COVID-19 positive. He was under the unit of Dr Umesh Prasad. Significantly, Lalu Yadav is also being treated by the same unit and Dr Umesh Prasad is his treating physician. Though Lalu Yadav is admitted in the paying ward," said the hospital administration stated.
Since, the new COVID-19 patient had been in the unit for three weeks, all doctors and other staff were giving their samples, the hospital said. Lalu Yadav's doctor will be quarantined, it added.
The Jharkhand government has reportedly sought a legal opinion from the state Advocate General on whether to grant parole to Lalu Yadav.
The RJD questioned why the Jharkhand government was not releasing their leader despite the health worry.
"It's a deliberate attempt to put Lalu Yadav's life in jeopardy. Knowing his preexisting life threatening health conditions, the least the government could have done was releasing him on parole. We don't understand what's stopping the authorities from arriving at a decision," the RJD tweeted.
After being convicted in fodder scam cases, Lalu Yadav was sent to the Birsa Munda Central Jail in December 2017. He has been at the hospital since August 2018 for ailments related to the kidneys, heart and blood sugar.
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