MP Police HQ shut till Sunday over corona scare

Bhopal, April 21 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Police Headquarters (PHQ) here was shut down till April 26 as a precaution against exposure of officers and staff to the coronavirus, an order said on Tuesday.The staff has also been advised to await fresh orders till April 27 for the reopening of the PHQ.The panic button was pressed after the driver of a top-ranking IPS officer tested positive for Covid-19. The driver's son, a clerk in the PHQ, has also tested positive.Through an order from ADG, Administration, Ajay Kumar Sharma, all ADGs, IGs, AIGs, and DIGs have been advised to work from home. The order has also directed all heads of departments in the PHQ to direct their subordinate staff also to work from home. DGP V. K. Johri has approved the order.It has also asked all officers and staff to remain available over phone and email from their homes during office hours.Sources said the order to temporarily close offices in the PHQ was issued after the driver's positive status was confirmed through test reports.Sources said the Covid-19 positive policeman is the driver of an ADG of the 1988 batch of MP cadre. According to the Health Department's report, the driver's son, who has also tested positive, is a clerk in the Special Branch at the PHQ.The father-son duo are employed in the 25th Battalion of Special Armed Force (SAF) of MP Police at Bhopal.
--IANS naidu/vd