An undated video has been doing rounds on social media in which Omprakash Shete, who is the chief of the Medical Assistance Cell of the Maharashtra Chief Minister, is seen breaking down while talking to media about the Coronavirus pandemic situation in the state. In the video, Shete is seen desperately crying over the rising toll of deaths in the state due to coronavirus.
“I am not able to sleep. Common man is dying. It feels bad”, Shete said breaking down. He said that every day he receives hundreds of messages and he is tired of responding to them. Shete said that CM Thackeray has the discretionary power to decide and it is his call to take. He added that after losing all hopes he has now approached the court seeking action. “People are dying because they do not have money. I have requested the court to help them”, said Shete in a broken voice.
The video of Omprakash Shete was also mentioned today by Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Dipankar Datta during the hearing of a PIL seeking the reopening of religious places in the state. Refusing to intervene in the state government’s decision, Chief Justice Datta said that if Shete’s claims about the collapsing system in the state were true then something needed to be done. CJ Datta directed the Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to verify the authenticity of the video and to find whether Shete was actually part of the Medical Cell and that if the video was authentic and Shete was part of the state system then the state would have to address the situation.
Maharashtra is the worst hit state by the Chinese virus, with more than 12.60 lakh confirmed cases reported so far. The state’s share in the total positive cases in the country is more than 22%, while its share in the active cases is more than 28%. Almost 34000 people have lost their lives to the infection, far more than any other state, as the second highest number of deaths is around 9000 from Tamil Nadu.