The Telangana police arrested a local TRS councillor from Nirmal district on Saturday for preventing the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers from carrying out enumeration in the neighbourhood to check for those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi. The councillor, Syed Zaheer, was arrested under section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), police said.
Following the death of an Irrigation officer due to COVID-19 earlier this week in Hyderabad, ASHA workers were tasked with tracing the contacts and collecting data of persons who returned from Delhi, and those who came in contact with the deceased. The deceased had attended the Markaz.
However, while doing their job, on Friday, Zaheer heckled them for collecting Aadhaar card details for the enumeration process. The incident took place in Kabutar Kaman area.
A corporator of Nirmal #Telangana was booked by police for obstructing #AshaWorkers performing #COVID19 duties and conducting health survey of #TabligiJamaat returnees when the corporate obstructed them. Booked u/s 354 IPC (outrage of modesty).#TelanganaFightCorona pic.twitter.com/ZoEmZsGNss
— Aashish (@Ashi_IndiaToday) April 4, 2020
Despite intervention from the police who tried reasoning with the councillor that Aadhaar card is necessary to ascertain if the house numbers are correct, Zaheer suspected foul play and remained unconvinced about their actions. Police recorded the video of the incident in which Zaheer remains defiant and claims that Aadhaar is not necessary for the task. “I am not stopping them from doing their job, but why are they asking for Aadhaar?” Zaheer is seen repeatedly asking.
“The councillor suspected that the government is working against their interests by collecting Aadhaar data. We tried convincing that the Aadhaar details are necessary to confirm if the residents are providing correct house numbers. However, he didn’t trust and remained unconvinced,” said Nirmal Circle Inspector (CI) J Diwakar. “We have arrested him and he will be sent to judicial custody,” the CI added.
The arrest was made after the ASHA workers staged a protest at the District Collector’s office on Saturday, alleging that they were being harassed and threatened by the locals. Demanding police protection, the ASHA workers alleged that the locals were hostile and chased them with stones and sticks.