Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
With inputs from IANS

Bengaluru, Apr 20: State home minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that those who attacked corona warriors at Padarayanapura here will be dealt with sternly. So far, five first information reports (FIR) have been registered in this connection.

Padarayanapura ward in the city has highest number of coronavirus infected persons. The officials working against the spread of the pandemic were attacked at this ward. The police have taken 59 persons into custody relating to these incidents.

ASHA (healthcare) workers had visited this area, which has been treated as hot spot, to quarantine people who had come in contact with patients. Some hooligans had tried to attack them. When the police forces who were limited, came to stop them, the police were also assaulted.

At night, some suspected trouble mongers engaged themselves in rowdyism. Check post erected to enforce lockdown rules was demolished. As the police were outnumbered, they failed to properly manage the situation. The miscreants who formed a big crowd and were supported by vehicles, made use of the situation and vandalized the area.

The police have now registered a total of five cases against the local miscreants who had attacked the doctors, police personnel and the ASHA workers. Basavaraj Bommai asserted that action will be taken against people who backed this incident, irrespective of their clout, status and position. He said that he has ordered for stringent steps against the goons.

Over 50 suspects were detained for allegedly assaulting healthcare workers and damaging public property in the city's south-west suburb on Sunday night, police said on Monday.

"We have detained 59 people suspected to have attacked healthcare workers and vandalised public property in Padarayanapura area when secondary contacts of Covid-hit patients were told to get quarantined," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Ramesh Bhanot told IANS.

The city civic body sealed off the area last week after 3 Covid positive cases were identified residing there with travel history to Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi's Nizamuddin in March.

"Security has been beefed up with additional deployment of our personnel and the situation is under control. Cases have been booked against the suspects and investigation is underway to find who all instigated the attack and are involved in damaging public property," Bhanot said.

Trouble reportedly began when the secondary contact persons refused to meet the health workers on Sunday evening and stay at the quarantine centre for isolation.

"A mob attacked a make-shift tent in the area set up for the health workers and the police personnel who were posted there to prevent the people from coming out of houses and roaming around. They removed the barricade and damaged tables and chairs," added Bhanot.