Just a day after Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey issued a stern warning that he would not spare anyone who will attack the frontline workers in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic, members of a certain “minority community” assaulted ASHA workers in Darbhanga on Friday. The attack took place when they reached Bihar to collect information about migrants from other states to survey in Chandan Patti and Bhalpatti locality of Darbhanga. According to the reports, people belonging to minority community misbehaved with ASHA workers and tried to pull their clothes.

As per the reports, ASHA workers who had come to seek information about the residents with a travel history in the village were subjected to a brutal assault by members of the minority community. Sarees of the female ASHA workers were pulled by the miscreants while the survey form given by them were torn into pieces. After being informed about the attack on ASHA workers, SP Babu Ram immediately dispatched a police team under the leadership of DSP Anuj Kumar reached the spot and tried to pacify the situation. A person in this regard has been detained by the police.

Recently, a survey was conducted about the presence of migrants in the city by the Block Development Officer, Ravi Sinha, to assess the danger profile of the village amidst coronavirus outbreak. Based on the inputs received by this survey, ASHA and Anganwadi workers were to survey for 5 days about the possible presence of people with a recent travel history in the village. When the ASHA workers accosted people at ward number 4 of Bhalpatti Panchayat, Darbhanga, they were subjected to assault by the errants.

One of the female ASHA members had filed a complaint against the miscreants alleging that her saree was torn by them. Acting on the complaint, when the police arrested the accused, a few of his co-religionists surrounded them and expressed their protest over his arrest.

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The depraved attack against the healthcare workers comes amidst a rising number of assault against the front line workers who are bolstering the country’s fight in taming the coronavirus. Yesterday, Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey warned that mischievous elements who are attacking doctors and obstructing healthcare workers from performing their duty will be slapped with the National Security Act.

“We will not spare anybody found to be involved in attacking healthcare professionals in the state. We will ensure they are punished by the court of law at the earliest,” Pandey said.

On April 16, 2020, villagers in Jagapakad village had attacked law enforcement officials and medical teams who were out to enforce lockdown. There was a brawl between the villagers and policemen in which BDO Sunil Kumar and three policemen were injured and their vehicle was damaged.

Earlier on Tuesday too, Bihar cops were attacked at a quarantine centre located at Nalanda Mor. A mob of over 100 had approached the quarantine centre and pelted stones at the police team.