Mohua Chatterjee & Shailvee Sharda  | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 21, 2020)

New Delhi/Lucknow: An FIR was lodged on Friday night against Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor—who tested positive for Covid-19—for not following protocol of “self-quarantine” after returning from abroad as the coronavirus scare reached Parliament and even Rashtrapati Bhavan.

BJP MP Dushyant Singh and his mother, former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, went into “self-quarantine” for having attended a party in Lucknow last Sunday where Kanika was present.

The singer came to Lucknow on March 11 after arriving in Mumbai from London two days earlier.

The political class went into a tizzy after Raje tweeted on Friday that she and Dushyant had been to the party in Lucknow where Kapoor was also a guest. Dushyant has been attending the House, spending time in central hall. He had also attended a breakfast meeting hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind, who has cancelled his appointments for the next few days.

Singer charged for negligence and spreading disease
In the FIR, the singer has been charged with “negligently doing an act likely to spread infection; malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life, and disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant”, said assistant commissioner of police, Krishnanagar (Lucknow), Deepak Kumar Singh.

The meeting with Kovind on Tuesday was for MPs from Rajasthan and UP and a photo released by Rashtrapati Bhavan showed Dushyant greeting the President and standing next to other MPs.

Attendance has been high in Parliament and the central hall has also been fairly crowded with MPs and journalists.

Dushyant also attended two other private gatherings with friends in Delhi over the last three days since his return from Lucknow.

Raje tweeted on Friday to say, “While in Lucknow, I attended a dinner with my son Dushyant and his in-laws. Kanika Kapoor, who has unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19, was also a guest. As a matter of abundant caution, my son and I have immediately self-quarantined and we’re taking all necessary precautions.” Kapoor was among four persons who tested positive for Covid-19 in Lucknow on Friday, triggering concern among the political class.

Some MPs who spent any time in proximity with Dushyant have also gone in for self-quarantine, while others are anxiously checking on whether they were near him. The results of his seclusion may well be keenly awaited. TMC MP Derek O’Brien went into self-quarantine, as he had spent a good two and half hours next to Dushyant at a parliamentary standing committee meeting. RS MP and renowned dancer Sonal Mansingh was also at the meeting. O’Brien tweeted the government was putting everyone at risk and the session should be curtailed.
------------------------------
Kanika Kapoor, who returned to Lucknow from the UK on March 9, allegedly hid her travel history, attended several parties from March 13- 18 before she tested positive for COVID-19
Radhika Ramaseshan (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 21, 2020)

Singer Kanika Kapoor, known for songs such as ‘Baby Doll’ and Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan’, shared on social media on Friday that she had tested positive for COVID-19. Her post prompted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath order the sanitisation of Lucknow, Noida and Kanpur, and sparked a scare among politicians and others who were at various parties she attended from March 13 to 18. Kapoor, who returned to India from the UK on March 9, was admitted to King George Medical University hospital in Lucknow on March 19 after she complained of flu-like symptoms.

After she posted that she had tested positive, a host of celebrities and politicians went into self-quarantine. They included Vasundhara Raje and her son and MP Dushyant Singh, Jitin Prasada, Akbar Ahmad Dumpy, UP health minister Jai Pratap Singh, the state’s Lokayukta Sanjay Mishra, and various MPs who came into contact with Dushyant Singh in Parliament. Her revelation also prompted a clamour from lawmakers to have Parliament adjourned sine die, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted that the House function until April 3.

After landing in Lucknow on March 9, Kapoor first went to her parents’ home at Shalimar Gallant Apartments in Mahanagar. She is said to have not informed authorities about her travel history and also hosted a gathering for her friends and family. It is unclear if she was scanned rigorously at the airport but she claimed her symptoms only manifest after “four or five” days. What is known is that she had a series of signing assignments lined up at parties hosted by the city’s elite over the next few days. She checked into the Taj on March 14 and checked out two days later. Those who had hired her services included interior designer Adil Ahmad, a cousin of Dumpy; Adesh Seth, Prasada’s father-in-law; and Mishra, a former judge of the Allahabad High Court who heads the UP Lokayukta. Sources in Lucknow said that in between these events, she regaled guests at “smaller” parties and an event in Kanpur organised by Vipul Tandon, a relative.

Kapoor wrote in her post on social media, “For the past four days I have had signs of flu... My family and I are in complete quarantine now and following medical advice on how to move forward. Contact mapping of people I have been in touch with is underway as well.” Her father, Rajiv Kapoor, told a news channel that his daughter had come into contact with “350 to 400 people”.

Vasundhara Raje and Dushyant Singh were at the party Adil Ahmad at his family’s ancestral mansion in Dalibagh. Vasundhara’s association with Dumpy goes back a long way, while Adil Ahmad had spruced up her inherited property in Delhi. The guests were UP’s “rajwadas”, who live off the principalities they ruled over but retain their clout through political connections. One of them was Jai Pratap Singh, health minister in the Yogi Adityanath government. On March 19, unaware that he had mingled with a coronavirus transmitter, he spoke about the measures his ministry had taken to contain the spread of the virus at a press conference in Noida. Singh is now in seclusion, leaving the health administration to a junior minister a critical juncture.

Dushyant Singh and wife Niharika were accompanied by Ranjit Singh Judeo of the erstwhile Samthar family of Bundelkhand, which was traditionally close to the Nehru-Gandhis. Niharika, who is a Gujjar, helped Vasundhara Raje negotiate her troubles with Rajasthan’s Gujjars when she was chief minister.

Dushyant Singh was present in Parliament until Thursday. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien tweeted in anguish, “Am in self-isolation and following all protocol as I was sitting right next to Dushyant for two hours at a #Parliament meeting on March 18.”

As the Jhalawar-Baran MP’s extended presence rocked Parliament on Friday, Vasundhara Raje surfaced on Twitter to write, “As a matter of abundant caution, my son and I have immediately self-quarantined”, prompting a BJP MP to remark, “Is she doing any of us a favour?”

Jitin Prasada’s father-in-law Adesh threw a bash at the Taj for his brother’s grandson, at which the Seth and Prasada clans was present. Adesh is a former captain of the prestigious Lucknow Golf Club and the attendees included many of his golfing associates.

Kapoor’s last performance before she tested positive was at a party that Sanjay Mishra threw for his fellow alumni from Gwalior’s Scindia School. It was held at Gulistan Colony, where his official home is located. 

Mimoh says backache prompted Mithun’s resignation from the Rajya Sabha
MUMBAI MIRROR (December 27, 2016)

After being elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2014, Mithun Chakraborty tendered his resignation as a Member of Parliament on Monday to the Chairman of the Upper House, Hamid Ansari, citing health issues. All India Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien confirmed the news, saying, “He resigned from Rajya Sabha on health grounds. We continue to share a warm relationship with him and his family. We wish him speedy recovery.”

When Mirror got in touch with the 66-year-old actor’s son Mahaakshay aka Mimoh, he admitted that Mithun’s health had been fluctuating because of a constant backache and the doctor has asked him to take it easy for now. “Dad has a lot of friends in the US. On their suggestion, he was in Los Angeles for a while undergoing physiotherapy sessions and has recovered 80 per cent. For now he is resting at our hotel home, Monarch Safari Park, in Ooty,” added the 32-year-old actor informing that his father is continuing with his physiotherapy sessions.

Mithun joined the Parliament and became an MP after he was nominated to the Upper House by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. His last Hindi film, Hawaizaada, with Ayushmann Khurrana, released in 2015. He was also seen on TV in the fifth season of the talent hunt contest, Dance India Dance.