E-Paper
Two men arrested for vandalising Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Mumbai house ‘Rajgruh’ test positive for Covid-19
The accused – Umesh Jadhav (35) and Vishal More (20) – had to undergo the mandatory Covid-19 test after their police custody got over and before they were to be sent to judicial custody.
The two accused, who were arrested recently for vandalisation of Rajgruh, the house of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at the Hindu Colony in Dadar, Mumbai, have tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The accused – Umesh Jadhav (35) and Vishal More (20) – had to undergo the mandatory Covid-19 test after their police custody got over and before they were to be sent to judicial custody.
“On Wednesday, both the arrested accused tested Covid-19 positive. They have been moved to a guarded quarantine facility. They are asymptomatic,” said Viresh Prabhu, additional commissioner of police (ACP), (central region), Mumbai Police.
Jadhav and More were arrested on July 9 and 22, respectively, for their alleged involvement in the vandalism at Rajgruh on July 7.
The two-storeyed heritage house of Dr. Ambedkar has a museum, where his books are kept, along with his portrait, ashes and vessels and other artefacts.
The accused were arrested on the basis of the footage of the closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras installed inside the house.
Jadhav was found standing outside Rajgruh, while More went inside the house and vandalised glass window panes and potted plants, the police said.
“We have sufficient evidence to establish the role of the two accused in the crime,” Prabhu said.
They have been arrested under Sections 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs 50 or more) and 447 (criminal trespass) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on the complaint of one of the three grandsons of Dr. Ambedkar, who lives in Rajgruh.
The accused will be sent to jail from the quarantine facility after they recover from their viral infection.