A flash protest was held on Sunday morning in front of Chamrajpet Police Station in Bengaluru by supporters of KR Market ward corporator Nazima Khan after she was allegedly ‘harassed’ by a police official.
The protesters, most of whom were women, sat outside the police station on Sunday morning after they came to know of the news that the corporator had allegedly been harassed by the station’s police inspector Kumaraswamy with regards to lockdown measures.
According to a staff member of the office of the corporator, Nazima Khan was blocked by the police official on Saturday while she was returning from the hospital at night and was allegedly forced to walk home.
“Yesterday, at around 10 pm, the corporator was stopped at the entrance of Tippu Nagar by the police when she was returning from the hospital where she went for treatment. She was forced to walk home as the police seized her two-wheeler. The police staff also misbehaved with her even though she had valid documents and was out only for emergency purposes,” the staff member told TNM.
“The corporator did not tell anybody about the incident and wanted to clear the matter with the Deputy Commissioner of Police directly, but once her followers came to know about this incident, they hit the street in protest. They questioned what would happen to them if an elected leader herself is treated like that,” he added.
The protests were withdrawn after the corporator appealed to her supporters after meeting with the jurisdictional Deputy Commissioner of Police and urged them to return home.
Despite repeated attempts, TNM could not reach a police official for comment.
According to present prohibitory orders, no persons are allowed to be outside their residence after 7 pm except for essential services or emergencies. However complete lockdown measures apply to containment zones and residents there do not enjoy any relaxations introduced since the third phase of the lockdown.
Incidentally, the ward has six positive cases since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has one containment zone