Kathmandu: The District Administration Office (DAO) of Bhaktapur has registered a case filed against the former prime minister and CPN (UML) chairman KP Sharma Oli on a charge of helping spread Covid-19 infection by attending a public program only four days after testing positive for the infectious disease.
Abhijit Adhikari from Suryabinayak Municipality has filed a case demanding actions against Oli under Infectious Disease Control Act, 1964. Adhikari has accused Oli of defying the Act and deliberately participating in a public program while he himself was tested Covid positive.
Earlier on Sunday, DAO had reportedly refused to register the case. “It has been registered today,” confirmed Adhikari, while speaking to Nepal Live Today.
Oli had attended a blood donation program organized by the National Youth Association, a youth wing of the CPN-UML on Thursday. The program attended by Oli and his wife was full of crowd and social distancing was not maintained by the attendees. “A video was out where Oli was delivering speech amid a crowd claiming his infection was just normal. His participation and speech became the headlines in newspapers. We attach the news and photos with this appeal,” the complaint reads.
The video of Oli delivering a speech in a crowd had gone viral on social media, sparking widespread criticisms from different walks of life.
Moreover, the complaint states that Oli’s participation and speech in the program, in addition to helping spread coronavirus infection, can mislead the people most of whom take Covid-19 as a normal cough and cold. It says if the actions are not taken, other infected people may also disregard health protocols including mandatory isolation.
The flaring pandemic has already taken more than 11,000 lives in Nepal so far. The video of Oli delivering a speech in a crowd had gone viral on social media, sparking widespread criticisms from different walks of life.
The Infectious Disease Control Act has a provision that in case of the violation of the Act, the violators will be subjected to a month of imprisonment or Rs. 100 penalty or both. Those who obstruct the works of authorized persons under the Act will be subjected to six months imprisonment or Rs. 600 penalty or both, says the law.
Adhikari, the complainant, has demanded actions against Oli according to Article 3 of the Act as soon as possible.
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