Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor being tested positive for Coronavirus has created a panic situation among the officials and the people she had been interacting with carrying the virus. She had issued a statement on her Instagram confirming that she has been infected with coronavirus and has been put under complete isolation. She also said that she was scanned at the airport when she came back to India from her London trip. However, contrary to her claims, reports suggest that Kanika avoided screening at the Lucknow airport and how.
According to several reports, it is being said that Kanika reportedly dodged the airport authorities and escaped screening by hiding in the washroom. The singer had arrived in India 10 days ago and developed symptoms 4 days later. It was also being said that Kanika had hid her travel history which risked several people being prone to catching the virus.
Meanwhile, authorities at Lucknow airport have washed their hands off after being questioned on how Kanika left the airport without getting screened. They blamed Mumbai airport officials for letting Kanika escape without being scanned saying that they can only scan international flights, as per govt directives.
"Passenger has travelled from London to Mumbai by Air India flight AI130 on 10th March. There is no direct flight from London to Lucknow. It is expected that as per Government of India's order, the screen would have been done at Mumbai. No comments of Lucknow airport on this. As per directives, passenger screening is being done only for international flights only," read the statement.
Kanika Kapoor unhappy with airport authorities
Kanika Kapoor, on the other hand, has slammed the airport authorities for not getting her scanned despite her repeated attempts. The singer is unhappy with the way doctors in the hospital are treating her. Speaking to the media, Kanika said that she is not given food or any medicine at the premise and the doctors are ill-treating her and behaving as if she is a criminal.
"How is it possible for a person to skip screening at immigration while coming on an international flight? I was properly screened at the Mumbai airport and I stayed in the city for a day," Kanika said.
Meanwhile, the UK returned singer who has now been tested positive for coronavirus has thrown the political elite of the country into quarantine after she attended multiple bashes in Lucknow. The epicentre of her reckless act turn out to be the capital of Uttar Pradesh -- India's most populous state and New Delhi -- the national capital itself.
How did it all start?
Former BSP MP Akbar Ahmed Dumpy threw a birthday party on March 14 which was attended by many socialites and royals. In the list,were Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh, Congress leader Jitin Prasada, Rajasthan's former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and her MP son Dushyant Singh among others. But among the others was Kanika Kappor.
The party was one among the three hosted by the father-in-law of former Union minister Jitin Prasada which high profile dignitaries attended.
The singer stayed at Shalimar Gallante in Mahanagar in Lucknow and now another person from the same building has been found positive, said sources. The singer had also been interacting with her friends in the high-rise building where her parents stay in Mahanagar area.
She also paid a visit to her uncle's family in Kanpur.
Next, you know, the Health Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a state with more than 20 cr people goes to the cabinet meeting where he meets Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputies -- Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya. Ironically, the huddle was meant to discuss how to contain the spread of the virus which has been deemed an "pandemic" by WHO. Singh also met his other cabinet colleagues and later a press conference was also held.
He even met top bureaucrats including the Health Department officials.
In the meanwhile, Kanika Kapoor continued to mingle with neighbours and admirers across the length and breadth of Lucknow, even obliging for selfie requests.
Meanwhile, Dushyant Singh flew back to the national capital and headed straight to the Parliament. He met leaders of all hues. Former Union Minister Anupriya Patel was one of them. She took to Twitter to announce: ""I met Dushyant Singh at an event yesterday. As a precautionary measure, I have placed myself under self-isolation. I will follow the government's directions on this."
Singh was also spotted chating with Union Minister Pralhad Patel. He also attended a standing committee of Transport, Tourism and Culture where he met Trinamool Congress member Derek O' Brien among many. The Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha member said it is a very serious matter if Singh is under isolation as he was sitting near to him two days ago. In turn, Rajya Sabha AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Friday announced he will go in for self quarantine as he had been meeting O'Brien.
Media persons were also scared as many of them from different organisations had spoken to Singh when he was present in Parliament this week - after attending the party where Kapoor was present.
In the action following, Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Adityanath government has directed Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash to submit a report within 24 hours on the parties attended by Bollywood singer in the state capital.
But that doesn't seem to have worked as the mayhem continued. The Taj Hotel where Kanika Kapoor attended a party, has been closed till further orders, according to the orders issued by the District Magistrate on Friday evening.
Meanwhile, Adityanath has ordered sanitisation of Lucknow, Noida and Kanpur, places Kanika Kapoor and those who met her visited. UP Health minister, who has now self-quarantined himself, had visited Noida recently.
What's more? The Chief Minister, after talking to the Health Minister, has also ordered the closure of all malls and restaurants in the state.
"Sanitisation will be a massive exercise in which possible suspects will be tracked and checked. We do not want any further spurt in the number of Corona patients. Kanika Kapoor has interacted with an unimaginably large number of people and we cannot take chances," said a medical official.
While Dushyant Singh's test report has come negative, according to BJP sources, the government is wary about the health hazard, nevertheless.
It all started with one non disclosure by the singer which has now put two biggest cities of India on edge.
(With IANS Inputs)
