A group of 12 people from Palakkad and Ernakulam districts in Kerala had tested negative after undergoing 14-day quarantine at two facilities in Bengaluru. To help them return to their home state, Aijaz Ahmed, the nodal officer for the Haj Bhavan (one of the quarantine facilities), personally arranged a vehicle for them. However, turned back by the officials at the Walayar border in Palakkad district of Kerala, the 12 Malayalis are back at Haj Bhavan.
The incident took place on April 14 when they started their journey to Kerala on a mini-bus arranged by Aijaz Ahmed. On reaching Walayar check post the same evening, the Palakkad officials said they cannot enter the state, as reported by The Hindu. Aijaz told TNM that the group wants to go back, but there is still no word from the Kerala government.
Speaking to TNM, Palakkad District Collector P Suresh Babu said they were denied entry as it was against the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). "The MHA notification bans all inter-state movement, except for emergency cases. Also, foreign returnees, who arrived in India after March 15, quarantined at a government facility and tested negative, can enter other states. No other cases, including domestic travellers, will be allowed," he said.
On April 13, two residents of Palakkad, who were quarantined in Bengaluru, were sent to Kerala after they completed the stipulated quarantine period of 14 days. Speaking to TNM, Aijaz Ahmed says that the government decided to send two out of the 14 people from Kerala, who were quarantined here, to see if they would be allowed to enter the state.
When the vehicle carrying a middle-aged man and his wife reached Walayar check post, the security personnel allegedly stopped them from moving forward. The vehicle driver called Aijaz, who reached out to Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Shivamurthy. The Bengaluru DC and Aijaz reached out to the confidential secretary of the Palakkad collector, Vipin, who intervened and allowed the two people to pass.
“DC Shivamurthy had sent an email to the Palakkad collector. The mail contained the names of 14 residents of Kerala, who had completed 14 days quarantine in Bengaluru and were supposed to return home and complete two more weeks of home quarantine,” Aijaz Ahmed added.
All 14 members were even issued certificates stating they tested negative for coronavirus.
However, on April 14, when a private bus carrying the 12 remaining persons, reached Walayar check post at around 5.30 pm, the security personnel allegedly refused to let them enter. “We had to make the same round of calls. I called the Palakkad officials, the DC also called. But they refused to let them enter. They said that it was a violation of the government’s protocol,” he added.
At around 8.30 pm, security personnel at the Walayar check post escorted the vehicle to the nearest checkpoint towards Karnataka. “From here onwards, beat police at every check post began escorting the vehicle to the next check post and so on,” he said. It is unclear if this was done by the Tamil Nadu police as after Walayar, the journey to Bengaluru is through Tamil Nadu and not Kerala.
By the time the vehicle reached Erode by 10 pm, the vehicle had run out of fuel and the driver, who was unable to convince the police to allow them to stop for fuel, decided to halt the vehicle at a petrol station on the way.
According to Aijaz, the driver did not have money for fuel and the police offered to give him only Rs 500. After Aijaz’s daughter finally managed to send Rs 6,000 to the driver via Google Pay, he filled fuel and resumed the journey.
The police escorted the bus till Hosur at the border between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. “They reached Hosur around 4.30 am and returned to the quarantine centres. We cannot send them back until the Kerala government is willing to let them go home,” Aijaz said.
Aijaz also highlighted that throughout the journey back to Karnataka, the police were announcing that it had patients who were quarantined. “Even the people at the petrol pump were hesitating to give him fuel,” Aijaz alleged.
The Collector confirmed that the two passengers were allowed to enter on April 13, as they were foreign returnees, were quarantined at a government facility and had the certificate showing they tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. "The next day, 12 more people tried to enter, but they were domestic travellers, and they cannot enter even if they have a coronavirus-negative certificate," said the Collector.
He further said, "The government has brought many non-resident Indians (NRIs) back and quarantined them at a government facility. That is why they are showing leniency to such cases. As far as the domestic travellers are concerned, there are many like them stuck in other states."
When asked about the announcements made while escorting the van, the Collector said, “It is beyond my imagination; nobody will do that. I have not received any complaints.”