Emergency-like situation in Mumbai and Pune, says Shiv Sena in ‘Saamana’ as coronavirus COVID-19 cases rise

In its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the party stressed that the Centre and the state government need to work together to control the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 25,0000 people and killed nearly 2,00000 across the globe.

The editorial came even as the Union Health Ministry claimed that the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Maharashtra has risen to 5,218 on Wednesday. Out of the total number of cases, 722 patients were cured while 251 deaths were reported.

At least 19 people died due to COVID-19 infection in the state on Tuesday. Of these, 12 died in Mumbai, three in Pune, two in Thane and one in Pimpri Chinchwad. With 5,218 cases, Maharashtra remains the most-affected state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases among all states. Maharashtra is followed by Gujarat at 2,178, Delhi at 2,156, Rajasthan at 1,659, Tamil Nadu at 1,596 and Madhya Pradesh at 1,552.

Of the 640 total deaths in India, Maharashtra tops the tally with 251 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 90, Madhya Pradesh at 76, Delhi at 47, Rajasthan at 25, Telangana at 23 and Andhra Pradesh at 22. The death toll has reached 20 in Uttar Pradesh while Tamil Nadu has reported 18 deaths and Karnataka has registered 17 fatalities due to COVID-19. Punjab has registered 16 deaths while West Bengal has reported 15 fatalities so far.

The party had come up with a hard-hitting editorial in its mouthpiece on Tuesday in which it condemned the lynching of two Sadhus in neighbouring Palghar district. The ruling party said the incident was an attempt to malign Maharashtra’s image and it was “inhuman” to give it a communal colour.

The ‘Saamana’ editorial stated that residents of Gadchincle village in Palghar had killed the two sadhus over rumours that thieves dressed as holy men had entered the village taking advantage of the lockdown.

The victims wanted to cross the state borders and travel to Gujarat amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the article stated. Coming out in support of Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, the article stated that the police had taken prompt action and said both the victims and accused belonged to the same religion so there was no communal aspect to the case.

Seeds of communal discord were sown through the social media, but Maharashtra has remained peaceful, it said. “Some expressed concern about how Hindu sadhus could be killed in the state of Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray. But reasons for such concerns are different,” the paper said. Criticising the leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis, the paper said, the former Chief Minister had shed tears over the incident on social media.