india

Updated: Apr 02, 2020 12:08 IST

Two doctors suffered injuries in stone-pelting in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore during a drive to screen and identify possible Covid-19 patients in the city, according to state officials.

A group of health officials involving the doctors was attacked in an Indore neighbourhood on Wednesday after an elderly woman, suspected to have come in contact with a coronavirus disease patient, was asked to accompany the team to a hospital for diagnostic tests.

Indore has recorded over 60 Covid-19 patients. The alleged attack took place in Tatt Patti Bakhal area.

A video purportedly showing the doctors and health workers being attacked was widely shared on social media. It showed people wearing personal protective equipment being heckled, chased and pelted with stones in a narrow lane. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

“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.

She said the police had to intervene and save the members of the team.

“Two female doctors suffered injuries. They managed to save themselves by hiding behind the jeep of a tehsildar,” Praveen Jadia, chief medical and health officer, Indore. Said.

Additional collector Dinesh Jain said: “The police are trying to identify as to who are the persons who indulged in the attack. Action will be taken.”