india

Updated: Apr 03, 2020 00:35 IST

The Madhya Pradesh police arrested seven people on Thursday for allegedly attacking health workers in Indore’s Tatt Patti Bakhal area on Wednesday, as several such incidents of attacks on health workers were reported from different parts of the country.

After the incidents, the Central government asked the state police to ensure security of health workers.

The residents of a locality in Indore pelted stones at healthcare workers who went there to screen people in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Two female doctors reportedly sustained injuries in the incident.

“We have been visiting the locality for the past three days for the screening of residents. We had information about a person coming in contact with a Covid-19 patient…We were talking to the person (the elderly woman) when, all of a sudden, residents got agitated and attacked us,” said one of the doctors.

Health department officials said that the incident happened when the workers sought to take an elderly woman to hospital for her medical examination as she was said to have come in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient.

The locality where this incident took place was Tatt Patti Bakhal area in Indore.

In Bihar, police and medical personnel were attacked by locals in Munger town when they visited a locality to collect samples from people suspected to have contracted coronavirus. Stones were thrown at the quick response team (QRT), comprising policemen and an ambulance carrying medical personnel, when they visited the Hazratganj locality late on Wednesday, said the SHO of Qasim Bazar police station Shailesh Kumar.

Relatives of a 49-year-old coronavirus patient who died at a government hospital in Hyderabad assaulted the duty doctor and the staff alleging negligence, police said. Telangana Director General of Police M Mahendar Reddy asserted that strong action will be taken against the culprits and necessary measures will be put in place to provide protection to all the doctors and paramedics treating Covid-19 patients.

In Maharashtra, a man was assaulted by a group in Solapur district for allegedly informing a village official about those who attended the Tablighi gathering in Delhi. The 56-year-old man had informed the ‘gramsevak’ of Pimpri village about seven locals who attended the Tablighi meet and also insisted that they be tested for coronavirus, police said.

In Bangalore, a group of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers were allegedly assaulted at Sadiq layout near Hegdenagar on Wednesday by some youth belonging to the minority community when they had gone to collect information and create awareness about coronavirus.

Krishnaveni, one of the ASHA workers apparently assaulted, said, “We were instructed to go to houses and collect data on who has cough, fever or any other symptoms. I have been in this field for five years, but inspite of explaining who we were, they heckled us, snatched our belongings and we couldn’t call anybody. We are here for their health and look how they treat us.”

Some of the ASHA workers threatened that they would not continue the work if they were not provided protection, after which deputy CM Ashwath Narayan visited the house of Krishnaveni and said action would be taken against those who hinder the work of government servants.

In West Bengal, there were clashes between police and locals at a few locations when the latter prevented health workers from collecting Covid-19 data. Nobody sustained major injuries.

Police had a hard time enforcing social distancing norms in the wake of a large number of people coming out on the occasion of Ram Navami. Seven people were injured when police tried to enforce lockdown in North 24 Parganas district. “This is not the time to play carom or engage in chitchat with your friends at street corners. These can wait. If you do not adhere to social distancing, the consequences can be severe,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said on Thursday afternoon.

(With agency inputs)