Thanks to escalating corona scare, a motorbike rider was thrashed after he sneezed on a road in Kolhapur in Western India on March 17.

A CCTV footage of the video shows two bike-riders driving slowly along next to each other on a busy road. One of them stops and asks the other rider why he sneezed without covering his face with a handkerchief as it could cause the spread of the coronavirus.

It led to a heated exchange and the man who had allegedly sneezed was beaten up.

The incident led to a traffic snarl as many other vehicles stopped.

Police said the incident occurred at the Gujari area of the city and no complaint had been registered.

Maharashtra, where Kolhapur is located, has reported at least 49 coronavirus patients so far, including one who died.