Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday tweeted urging people to stay at their homes in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country.
In a tweet in Hindi, he has appealed to the people to not get out of their homes if they love their family.
Sirsa has also shared a rather disturbing video, which he claims to be from Tehran, Iran – the hardest hit country in the Middle East. Iran’s death toll from the new Coronavirus has increased to 1,812, with 127 new deaths in the past 24 hours, and the country’s total number of infected people has reached 23,049.
The purported video shows people, from young to old, getting sick and collapsing on the streets with no one to look after them.
However, The Statesman could not verify the authenticity of the clip.
Meanwhile, his appeal to stay indoors comes as India has reported nearly 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus including nine deaths.
A total lockdown has been declared in 32 states and Union Territories covering 560 districts to curb the spread of the pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has urged people to take the lockdowns seriously and be responsible citizens in such a time of crisis.
The Centre has issued an order asking state governments to “strictly enforce lockdown” in Coronavirus-affected areas as it was announced on Sunday. The Government has also warned of legal action against those violating the lockdowns.
Many viewers may find the video disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised: