An angry mob caused a stir in the Bengalurus Padarayanapura station on Sunday evening when Ministry of Health officials and health workers identified secondary contacts from regional COVID-19 patients and transferred them to quarantine facilities. The pictures of the incident showed a group of people breaking through barricades, chairs and tables in the area.

The station had already been sealed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and preliminary reports indicate that the violence has been sparked by rumors that more Padarayanapura residents have been transferred to a quarantine facility.

The station has 11 patients who have been confirmed to have received COVID-19, some of whom attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi. BBMP officials, police officers, and ASHA staff had listed around 58 secondary contacts from these patients who were to be brought to the quarantine center. 15 of them have already been brought to a center, the BBMP said in a statement.

The BBMP statement said that the violence began after some of the secondary contacts of COVID-19 patients refused to go to the quarantine center with health workers. The demonstrators also allegedly demanded that the constituency MLA, Zameer Ahmed, be called on the spot and that he was responsible for the community. Some of the demonstrators also said they did not get enough food and wanted to go out for this purpose, the BBMP statement said.
While health professionals have been reported to be attacked, TNM has been informed that the attack did not injure an official, but damaged the property. The State Secretary of the ASHA union informed TNM that the ASHA workers had also suffered no injuries in the incident.

Police have announced that protesters will be brought to justice under the National Disaster Management Act and other relevant sections of the law to hinder government officials on duty. Police also said that the area’s CCTV recordings are being reviewed and violations identified.

Chamarajpet MLA and former minister Zameer Ahmed Khan tweeted: “I urge everyone in the Padarayanapura district to remain calm and follow the BBMP guidelines. This seal is important to protect your life. So stay home and prevent the spread. “