Bengaluru:
In a disturbing incident in Bengaluru on Wednesday, a group of state government health workers conducting COVID-19 surveillance in the city were allegedly surrounded by residents and manhandled.
"The health workers went for a surveillance at Sadiq Nagar. The mosque made an announcement instigating the residents to surround the health workers and they were manhandled by the mob on instruction of the mosque announcement," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan said.
"They were doing surveillance after a domestic help in the area was found infected with coronavirus. They were visiting every house and they needed to collect numbers. This incident happened yesterday and it has completely demoralised the health workers," the minister said.
"We have directed the police to file a case and arrest the people who are responsible. They should be taught a proper lesson, otherwise it will send a wrong message," Mr Narayan said.
"They misbehaved with us. As soon as the mosque announcement was made, people came. The people who made the announcement should be arrested first," said a distressed ASHA worker.
"People should not give trouble like this. We are working to take care of their health. We are struggling to do this. There are no buses and we ourselves are spending on fuel in our vehicles to go and find out about their health. This is the trouble they gave us. We are doing this without food and struggling so much," the health worker said.
Karnataka has reported over 100 positive cases of COVID-19. Three have died in three districts.
A similar incident was reported from Madhya Pradesh. Healthcare workers and civic officials were attacked by a mob of angry locals in an Indore neighbourhood on Wednesday, as they visited the area to screen residents for signs of novel coronavirus infection.
Two women doctors were injured in the attack and had to be rescued by police. The shocking attack came two days after locals from the Ranipura area of the city allegedly spat at officials and abused them during screening procedures.
