Moradabad Mob Stone-Pelting Incident: 73 Policemen Quarantined

Moradabad, UP: Seventy-three police personnel who are said to have come in contact with those arrested in connection with a stone-pelting incident here last week were sent to a quarantine facility after five of the accused tested positive for coronavirus, the news agency PTI reported on Wednesday. The five accused are among 17 people who were arrested after a violent mob attacked a team of health workers in the Nawabpura area of Moradabad on April 15.

The team of health workers had visited the Nawabpura area to take a Coronavirus infected man to an isolation facility in the town. He was a family member of a patient who succumbed to the deadly pandemic. Health workers convinced him to accompany them to an isolation facility, but later a mob attacked them, forcing the policemen under attack to call for reinforcements. 17 people were arrested and cases under National Security Act (NSA) and Epidemic and Diseases Act (1897) were slapped on them.

As it turned out, samples of five of the accused returned positive for Coronavirus. Subsequently 73 police personnel who had been sent to different quarantine centres are now being tested.

Attacks on health workers and police personnel have been witnessed in various parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh. One such attack on policemen took place in Aligarh on Wednesday. Policemen were attacked when they tried to enforce a lockdown in the area which was being violated by some vegetable vendors and shopkeepers, media reports stated. Policemen were trying to get shops shut down and enforce the lockdown. Soon, a violent mob started pelting stones at the policemen who had to call for additional forces.