Rajya Sabha MP Calls for Unity between Police and Public in midst of Lockdown

Guwahati, March 28, 2020:

Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary has called for unity between the Police and public amid the lockdown in order to combat the novel coronavirus or COVID-19.

Owing to the rising incidents of clashes between the Police personnel and public during the pan-India lockdown period in several parts of Assam, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "We all have to be patient now. The Police and public will have to coordinate and cooperate. Some Police personnel have harassed and assaulted a few people who were out on the streets to purchase the essential goods. This is not right. Some grave inhumane incidents have come up during lockdown. The ones in high rank can brief the junior personnel on how to behave with the public at a time of crisis."

The Rajya Sabha MP stood by the people owing to their inconveniences and said, "This has happened suddenly, so clearly the public is confused and is in panic. Everyone panicked when the 21-day lockdown was declared. It was declared at 8 PM and by midnight, everything was declared shut. They were not prepared for the lockdown. So, the next day and the subsequent days, the public thronged the markets to buy the essentials in order to stock up for the lockdown period."

ALSO READ: Meghalaya Prepares 300 Beds to Deal with Possible COVID-19 Outbreak in Tura

He added "the groceries and other essential goods stores remain open for a limited duration, which is why the people gather at the same time. We cannot blame them for this."

The Rajya Sabha MP has decided to contribute 1.5 crore rupees to help Assam build the five prefabricated Hospitals, which would be dedicated for the COVID-19 patients. "The coronavirus is a huge issue. The whole world is terrified now. Therefore, considering the current scenario, all of us should keep everything aside and think of how to save people from the coronavirus."

He added, "Assam lacks in Hospital infrastructure. We are not that equipped. In case of an outbreak here, we will need a facility for treatment. Considering this, the Assam State Health Department, led by Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, has taken the initiative to come up with the coronavirus-care units in the form of prefabricated Hospitals and I have decided to contribute 1.5 crore rupees for the time being from the MP Fund.

ALSO READ: Bollywood Star Akshay Kumar Donates Rs 25 Cr to COVID-19 Relief Fund

Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary has urged everyone to cooperate with each other as it is an hour of crisis. "This is a war. If the lockdown continues for five more months, the privileged ones will also suffer. The Director General of Police, Chief Secretary, Ministers, everyone will face the same issue if the essentials are exhausted soon," he cautioned.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.