A Congress MLA from Arunachal Pradesh wants India to take China to court for instigating a bio-war. Ninong Ering on Tuesday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to suggest the same, adding that India should seek $22 billion in compensation.
The novel coronavirus outbreak has affected over 787,000 people across the world. In India there have been over 1250 cases recorded so far, with 32 people who had tested positive passing away. And while Ering's reasoning may be without any evidence to back it up, he is not alone.
The first cases of the virus had emerged from China's Wuhan region, and many continue to hold the country responsible. From conspiracy theories suggesting that the virus originated in a laboratory in the region, to suggestions that it was a bio weapon engineered by the country to wreak havoc in other parts of the world -- the rumours have been many and frequent.
There has not been any concrete evidence to support these claims. However, China's speedy response and a near-complete eradication of the virus from its shores has lent fuel to the speculation. While there are still cases being detected in the country, most are thought to be imported cases now.
"Govt of India must put up a case in the international forums like ICJ against China for bio-war and ask for compensation to the tune of 22 Billion USD," wrote Ninong Ering.
In his letter he also urged the country to "unite with other nations on this and also demand an international investigation on Wuhan coronavirus in China."
We mentioned earlier in this article that Ering is not the only person to hold this belief. Many on Twitter hailed his comments stating that it was indeed imperative that India hold China responsible.
Outside of India too, allegations have been made against China. Recently, an American laywer and the advocacy group Freedom Watch which he leads, along with a company called Buzz Photos filed a $20 trillion lawsuit against Chinese authorities. The lawsuit claims that the coronavirus is the result of a Chinese-made bioweapon and holds the country accountable for aiding and abetting death, providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to harm Americans, amongst other things.
According to reports, the lawsuit is against the Chinese government and army, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and its Director as well as the Army's Major General Chen Wei.
