Telangana police coerce lockdown violators into forced quarantine

Several youngsters who were found violating the lockdown were detained on Thursday.
A police man wearing a PPE kit escorting a youngster into a bus
A police man wearing a PPE kit escorting a youngster into a bus
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As part of its initiative to enforce a strict lockdown in the state, the Ramagundam police Commissionerate of Telangana is using a coercive method of detaining violators and forcing them into quarantine. Police personnel in Ramagundam jurisdiction made rounds on Thursday, hired special buses and vans, and caught youngsters violating the lockdown orders. These were people who were outside, allegedly with no specific purpose, and they were forced into a quarantine. Those identified with symptoms of COVID-19 are sent into isolation, police said.

“The idea is not to trouble them, but since they are unnecessarily roaming outside, there is a possibility of them spreading the disease,” Ramagundam DCP Ravinder said. He added, “If the detained persons show symptoms of the illness, we will conduct a test, provide counselling and make other arrangements.”

On Thursday at least 25 persons were detained. According to Ramagundam police, they have filed nearly 150 cases and seized nearly 400 vehicles so far, for defying the lockdown.

The Telangana police has enforced a ‘strict’ lockdown since May 22 following the directions of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who had expressed disappointment. The state has been under a lockdown since May 12, it will continue until May 31. The lockdown relaxation period is between 6 am - 10 am.

Following the orders of the Chief Minister, the police have increased their vigil and are employing various methods to ensure a complete lockdown. In Mancherial and Suryapet, the police are using drones to implement the lockdown and track people.

The ‘strict’ lockdown has also led to the harassment of food delivery executives. Recently, food delivery executives, who are exempt from the lockdown, were physically assaulted and their vehicles were seized by the police. With several complaining about the harassment to IT Minister  KT Rama Rao, the son of the Chief Minister, the Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy intervened and instructed against the harassment of the food delivery executives.

Earlier this week, the Telangana State Hotels Association (TSHA) - an association of hotels, restaurants, lodges, bars, cafes and tiffin centres - alleged that the Cyberabad police are physically assaulting and intimidating restaurant owners and staff, preventing them from operating. Seeking KTR’s intervention, the association said that the entire food and beverage industry is surviving solely on deliveries due to the pandemic and the lockdown.

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