Over 200 arrests in Assam as people continue to break lockdown
Guwahati/UNI: Problem of crowd control continued to plague Assam Police on day four of the 21-day nationwide lockdown against COVID-19 pandemic as police had to restore to firing in the air to disperse a mob.
After avoiding penal steps against violators on the first couple of days, police and other security agencies have now started enforcing relevant punitive sections against offenders and making arrests.
The firing incident happened at Bhawlaguri market near New Bongaigaon Railway Junction when few teenage boys gathered in a market in the morning hours to open their shops. However, no one was injured in the firing.
A video of the incident has surfaced in local media, wherein some teenage boys were seen pelting stones at the police team, which had arrived at the area to enforce lockdown. In retaliation, the police fired in the air to disperse the crowd.
A similar incident of pelting of stones on police was reported in Chapar in Dhubri district, where six arrests have been made so far in connection with the incident.
In Hojai, Health department workers were reportedly assaulted by a home-quarantined youth when they came to check on him.
Crowds to buy essential commodities were reported in various parts of the state, including at Guwahati, Jorhat and Karimganj, despite repeated appeals by the government to maintain social distancing and ban on opening any markets.
As police started to adopt punitive measures against violators, 241 arrests have been made so far in the state and 126 cases registered.
Altogether Rs 1.99 lakh in fine has been realized, while 391 vehicles detained.
Meanwhile, the state government has decided to issue gratuitous relief materials for seven days to the daily wage earners like rickshaw pullers, labourers etc. living/stranded in the urban areas as per the norms of Assam Relief Manuals.
The State Level Task Force daily meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, further directed that the production units of Bread, biscuits, packaged water, rice mill, chirra mill, flour mills will continue production with minimum staff maintaining social distance.
As decided yesterday, the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan District has arranged selling of vegetables at 66 points of Guwahati city by Mobile vans.
The state government had decided to close down all markets, except grocery and pharmacy, till March 31 due to crowds in areas where the administration had allowed selling of vegetables, fruits, meat and fish yesterday.
The North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council CEM, Debolal Gorlosa, has announced the distribution of free rice to those belonging to BPL families. All the houses in Dima Hasao (North Cachar Hills) where home quarantined people are residing, stickers are being pasted for alerting others and to ensure social distancing.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today visited Golaghat and Diphu and took stock of the preparedness to tackle any eventuality. He visited the Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital at Golaghat and Diphu Medical College and Hospital at Diphu during the visit.
State Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma inspected the facilities at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) at Dibrugarh, and announced that the AMCH will be closed for other patients, except Cardiology, Burn and Maternity cases, as it has been turned into a Corona specific treatment facility.
Private hospitals will share the burden of the rest of the departments of the AMCH, he informed.
State Minister for Forest and Excise Parimal Suklabaidya reviewed the novel Coronavirus situation at Hailakandi, where he held a high-level meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, the Superintendent of Police and heads of concerned departments.
The Minister, who has been entrusted with the responsibility to look after the three districts of Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar of Barak valley in view of Coronavirus situation, said the persons who have crossed over to South Assam's Hailakandi district through dense jungles and hilly terrain bordering Mizoram must be quarantined either in quarantine facility or in schools as 'the neighbouring state is a COVID-19 affected one'.
No positive case of COVID 19 has been reported in the state so far.
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