Covid Infection Spreads Rapidly in Delhi After Lifting Lockdown Restrictions

Arvind Kejriwal must be prosecuted and imprisoned for the crimes that he is committing during the Covid crisis in Delhi.

By Rakesh Raman

India’s capital New Delhi registered 534 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday (May 20), as chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had lifted the coronavirus lockdown restrictions on Monday (May 18). The increased number of cases is stated to be the highest single-day spike in the city-state.

Although Kejriwal – who often hoodwinks the citizens – has not been releasing the actual Covid data, it is believed that thousands of people are dying because of local government’s negligence and carelessness.

Kejriwal has committed a serious offence by abruptly announcing the relaxation in lockdown restrictions without taking any preventive measures to save the lives of citizens.

Now, Delhi is virtually open for all types of activities that can endanger the lives of millions of people. You can see people without masks and without obeying social-distancing guidelines throughout the city. Moreover, the Delhi bureaucrats are simply ignoring the citizens’ complaints that urge them to save the people from the deadly Covid infection.

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The sudden spurt in the number of cases is being observed in most countries that tried to lift the lockdown restrictions. And at least 6 countries have reimposed lockdown measures as new coronavirus cases flared up again. These are China, Germany, Iran, South Korea, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, many U.S. states are recording increased number of Covid cases after reopening the economic activity. Texas, for example, experienced a surge in new cases after lifting the lockdown restrictions.

But even after observing this disturbing trend, Kejriwal is not bothered because there is hardly and legal mechanism in India that can hold him accountable for the increasing number of deaths that are happening because of his authoritarian decisions.

DEATH THREATS FOR EDITORIAL WORK

As a journalist, I have been facing increasing threats including death threats for my editorial and anti-corruption work while the Indian authorities have ignored my complaints about these threats.

The Paris-based international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that defends freedom of journalists has urged the Indian government to save me from threats and persecution.

Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General of RSF, has written letters to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Law and Justice Minister; Amit Shah, Union Home Minister; and others, asking them to take action against the culprits who threaten me. In an article written on its site, RSF explains that in the recent months I have received multiple threats for my reporting.

Now, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India has issued notice to Delhi Police in my case so that I could work and move freely, but the Delhi Police did not respond.

Rakesh Raman

In fact, Kejriwal must be prosecuted and imprisoned for the crimes that he is committing during the Covid crisis in Delhi. He has no right to impose his ill-will and arbitrary decisions on others.

If Kejriwal has some sense left in him, he must immediately reimpose complete lockdown in the city until he convinces the citizens that he has made elaborate arrangements to deal with the crisis.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications and research reports on different subjects. These publications include the “Covid Health Bulletin” that covers global coronavirus news and views.