Tejashwi may be in England for cricket world cup, says RJD leader amid encephalitis crisis

Patna, June 19: Amid mounting encephalitis deaths questions are being asked about the silence of Tejashvi Yadav too as the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, who is also a strong critique of Nitish Kumar government is nowhere to be seen.

"We should check whether he is even here," news agency ANI quoted party colleague Raghuvansh Prasad Singh as saying. "I have no idea, really. I can only guess that he has gone to watch the Cricket World Cup. But hey, this is just a guess," RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

At least 126 children have died in Bihar due to suspected AES, and the state and central governments are currently on their toes to control what is proving to be the worst epidemic in years.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had visited Muzaffarpur, where maximum deaths have been reported two state-run hospitals.

Meanwhile, the worsening situation in the state has attracted the attention of agencies such as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The agency has sought a detailed report on the matter from state as well as central authorities within four weeks, and observed that the deaths of children on such a scale could only mean a "possible flaw" in the implementation of vaccination and awareness programmes.

Encephalitis is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches in patients. Doctors claim that only the monsoon, which is still over a week away, can effectively arrest its spread.