Nine security personnel, guarding Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in Jharkhand, tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, ANI reported.

Yadav, who has been convicted in several fodder scam cases, was undergoing treatment for multiple ailments at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi. The hospital is one of the designated Covid-19 facilities in Jharkhand. On August 5, Yadav was moved to the bungalow of the hospital’s director due to coronavirus fears, according to The New Indian Express.

The RJD chief’s physician Umesh Prasad told ANI that the security personnel have been removed from their posting. “The Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences has requested the concerned authorities to deploy nine new security personnel,” he said.

The bungalow where Yadav has been staying is situated inside the premises of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences. The nine security personnel were stationed outside the bungalow’s boundary, India Today reported, citing unidentified officials.

In July, three of Prasad’s attendants had tested positive for the coronavirus. Prasad himself had tested negative for the infection.

Jharkhand has reported over 26,000 coronavirus cases and 286 deaths so far, according to data from the Union health ministry. As many as 17,057 people in the state have recovered from the infection.


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