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Kerala Sub-Collector, Back From Singapore, Jumps Home Quarantine

The officer said he is in self-quarantine in Bengaluru, but the police traced his location to Uttar Pradesh.
File image of Anupam Mishra
www.lbsnaa.gov.in
File image of Anupam Mishra

A sub-collector in Kerala’s Kollam district, Anupam Mishra, has reportedly jumped the 14-day mandatory home quarantine. He came to Kerala from Singapore and was told to self quarantine on 19 March.

“As per preventive measures, he was asked by the health officials to stay self-quarantined and he agreed to the same,” B Abdul Nasar, Kollam District Collector, was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.

When health officials went to check up on him, they found his house locked locked from the outside. Nasar called Mishra’s actions “a grave lapse” and warned of stern action against the IAS officer, according to The News Minute.

The collector said that when contacted, Mishra told him he is in self-quarantine in Bengaluru with his brother and claimed to have left the state the day he was told to remain under quarantine.

News reports had different versions of his current location. While The New Indian Express quoted the collector as saying that the police traced his mobile phone location to Lucknow, Malyalamanorama said Mishra’s location was traced to Kanpur.

Kerala Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma called it “irresponsible behaviour”. “What else can be said about this? There will be action against him. He is not in Kollam,” the minister told NDTV.

One of the challenges that the Kerala government is facing is keeping people in quarantine. The state police has roped in its cyber cell to use tech and track the movement of high-risk people who have been placed under quarantine.

Last week, a Kasargod man violated government instructions on social distancing and hospital’s advice to self isolate and attended multiple public events.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.