The number of patients testing positive for coronavirus has increased to 25 in Islampur taluka of Sangli district, the third highest number of positive cases in Maharashtra. (Representational Image) The number of patients testing positive for coronavirus has increased to 25 in Islampur taluka of Sangli district, the third highest number of positive cases in Maharashtra. (Representational Image)

Anandrao Pawar, the Shiv Sena corporator of the Islampur Municipal Council, filed an FIR on Sunday against the family which first tested positive for coronavirus in Sangli district, for allegedly not adhering to home quarantine norms.

The number of patients testing positive for coronavirus has increased to 25 in Walva taluka of Sangli district, the third highest number of positive cases in Maharashtra. All the cases traced so far are contacts of the family which had returned from Saudi Arabia recently. Most of the cases are relatives of the family and had met them after their return.

On Sunday, a two-year-old boy tested positive for coronavirus. He is from the same family of 24 who had earlier tested positive. The patients are stable and undergoing treatment at a local hospital, said Sangli District Collector Abhijeet Chaudhari.

Pawar told The Indian Express that the family was asked to remain in home quarantine till March 30 after their return from Saudi Arabia. However, they openly defied the orders and on March 15, held a grand feast which was attended by more than 250 people. The family runs multiple shops and the shops had reportedly been reopened soon after their return from Saudi Arabia. “The family went around meeting people and travelling across Sangli and Kolhapur, but the police did not take any action against them,” Pawar said.

By March 19, the family had developed the first symptoms and sought medical help. Subsequent tests revealed that they were infected with coronavirus. “By intentionally not following the rules of home quarantine, they have put the entire Islampur taluka at risk. More than 400 people who had come in contact with them are in quarantine and search for more contacts is still on,” said the Sena leader.

Pawar has asked for strict punishment against the family of four for endangering the lives of many people.

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