Amidst reports from various quarters regarding Punjab Police using force against the violators, including women, to check curfew violations, about 16 incidents of assault on cops have also come to light from across the state since the curfew was imposed.
Working round the clock to ensure supply of all essential services including distribution of food items, even delivering medicines, contact tracing, and much more, the state police force has come under attack for punishing the violators and indulging in name and shame by making their videos.
“These are the testing times for everyone, including the cops. If we are asking the people to stay indoors and stopping them from venturing out, we are doing it for them so that they did not get infected…but people think that whatever the police do, is wrong. Alright, it is not right to beat someone, but what would one do if they don’t understand,” a senior police official said while talking to The Pioneer.
And when the Punjab Police was facing the heat for using excesses, numerous incident of assault on cops in the state were also reported during the lockdown period.
Sample this: One Mayank Sharma was arrested by the police after he assaulted a police constable Navjot Singh at Haibowal in Ludhiana city, and an FIR, under sections 353 and 186 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against him. In another case, Khanna-resident Rahul Thapar and his brother assaulted Inspector Jaswinder Singh and Home Guard jawan Ajmer Singh while they asked them to close their shop in curfew.
Ludhiana’s Manjali Kalan village resident Hardeep Singh also assaulted an ASI Kans Raj and was booked under sections 353 and 186 of the IPC. One Gagandeep Bharadwaj assaulted police party of Anandpur Sahib police station, headed by Sub-Inspector Sarabjit Singh, and pushed a woman constable Amandeep Kaur and also tore the uniform of Home Guard jawan Jaswant Singh while they were on duty. He was booked under sections 353, 186, 354, 294, 279, 506 and 188 of the IPC.
And the list goes on
A total of 42,515 police personnel across ranks, along with volunteers, were on the ground on Friday to enforce curfew and maintain essential supplies as well as law and order.
A total of 79 FIRs were registered and 104 persons arrested in 24 hours till Friday evening for curfew violation and violation of quarantine guidelines, said the state DGP Dinkar Gupta.
He said that the 112 police emergency number, transformed into Curfew Helpline a day before, had received 17,000 calls in 24 hours, of which 10,699 calls related to queries regarding COVID-19 and or other information.
“COVID emergency-related calls were 1176, of which 406 related to violations of curfew, 531 to supply of essential commodities, 65 to medicines, 102 to reporting of suspected cases of Corona Virus and 10 to medical assistance, while 62 were miscellaneous calls and the rest of the calls related to issues not related to COVID,” he said.
To further streamline operations, all Commissioners of Police and SSPs of the districts have nominated designated officers for specific tasks, such as District War Room, District Control Room, maintenance of essential services, maintaining smooth flow of traffic in the district including the National or state Highways, District Police Media Liaison officer, and Hospital/Medical Liaison Officer.
In view of the serious threat posed by COVID-19 to the people of the State and the need to contain the spread of the decease, te DGP once again cautioned the citizens to show self-restraint and discipline, and strictly adhere to the curfew restrictions and the lockdown.
He warned that the police would have no choice but to book all those violating the lockdown under the stringent provision of Disaster Management Act, 2005, as well as suitable provision of the IPC.
COPS DISTRIBUTED 1.9 LAKH FOOD PACKETS ACROSS DISTRICTS
Punjab Police on Friday scaled up its curfew relief operations across the State through the distribution of nearly 1.9 lakh food packets and set up medical camps in various districts, while facilitating the movement of about 3000 trucks and lorries carrying essentials into the State across various Inter-State border points in the past 24 hours.
Of the 1,88,317 food packets distributed, 1,34,815 lakh were of cooked food and 53,502 were dry food packets, said the state police chief Dinkar Gupta.
A maximum of 28000 food items was provided to 28,000 people in Mansa, while 1100 packets were given out in Moga, 7500 in Patiala, 15,000 in Pathankot, 3667 in Ropar, 8000 in Sangrur, 9000 in SAS Nagar, 1000 in SBS Nagar, 7000 in Sri Muktsar Sahib and 9600 in Tarn Taran.
INTRODUCING INTER-STATE CRITICAL EMERGENCY TRANSIT PASS, BADDI INDUSTRY PASS
Even as the police continued to clear 1600-odd applications received from individuals for e-pass under the facility launched a day before, it was also working on introducing new kinds of passes like Inter-State Critical Emergency Transit Pass, covering the states of Punjab, Delhi, UP, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and UT of Chandigarh, and the Baddi Industry Pass to facilitate travel.
“For a large number of 1600 applications received, passes had been granted. A few had been rejected while others are still under process,” said the DGP.
Notably, the Digital e-Pass facility, a web based application, was launched by Punjab Police on Thursday across the State for providing about nine different kinds of e-passes for different kinds of categories, such as hospital, medical related issues, mediapersons, movement of essential goods, essential services, health workers, government officials, vendors (fruits, vegetables, groceries), delivery workers (grocery, fruit, vegetable, restaurant, chemist).
FACILITATING SUPPLY THROUGH COMMUNITY KITCHENS
To facilitate supply of essentials, the DGP said that senior officers were initiating special measures in their respective districts. “Community kitchens have now been set up in three slum areas of Ludhiana (Rural) Police district. In Ludhiana (Rural) district, dry packets were distributed to around 1600 persons while cooked meals were served to around 12000 people,” he said.
“Under the guidance of Kapurthala SSP, medical camps were organized in area of Phagwara, Subhanpur and Begowal areas. In Bathinda, 1400 packets containing dry rations were distributed by the Police which included five kg atta, one kg Sugar, 100 gm tea, half kg ghee, hald kg dal, one kg rice, one kg namak, all necessary spices. In addition, 8140 cooked packets were distributed in Bathinda” he said.
RESTORING INTER STATE SUPPLY CHAIN OF ESSENTIAL GOODS
Gupta said that all-out efforts were being made to restore the supply chain of essential goods as well as all kinds of foodstuff and perishable commodities, which had been disrupted due to the sudden lockdown order of the Union Government.
“The movement of goods vehicles (trucks and lorries) across the inter-state border as well as within the State, especially those carrying essential goods and perishable commodities, have been restored completely, and at present, no trucks are stranded at any of the Inter-state borders,” said Gupta.
To ensure the smooth and uninterrupted operation of the Inter-State supply chain of goods, the supervision of the Inter-State Barrier on NH-1 at Shambu in Patiala had been given on 24/7 basis to Jatinder Singh Aulakh, IGP Patiala Range, he said.
CURFEW POLICE OFFICERS TO were also being made to enroll volunteers as ‘Curfew Police officers’, especially in villages and city or town mohallas, to enforce the curfew, especially in certain areas and villages where the police presence was thin on the ground.
Barnala SSP has enrolled 50 such volunteers while Bathinda SSP has engaged Village Chowkidars and Forest Guards for enforcement of curfew in the villages.
“Efforts are also being made to involve ordinary Rickshaw pullers to sell vegetables or milk etc in small areas of operation. This would facilitate delivery of vegetables and provide livelihood to the rickshaw pullers,” he said.
WON’T TOLERATE MISTREATMENT AGAINST WOMEN DURING CURFEW: PSCW
Taking suo-motu notice of “police excesses” against women during the curfew in the State, Punjab State Commission for Women chairperson Manisha Gulati on Friday cautioned the Police personnel to be more humane and sensitive in dealing with women.
Gulati said that curfew was imposed in the state on March 23 to contain the outbreak of Corona Virus which is a step taken in a right direction. But the reports are coming from different parts of the state through social media or other mediums that police personnel manhandled women in the name of restrictions,” she said.
“This is a matter of grave concern and taking serious notice of it, under the State Women Commission Act, 2001, I have written a letter to Punjab Home Secretary, DGP Punjab and all the Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of the state,” she said.
She said that safety and security of women should be ensured during restrictions, and that all possible help should be provide to women if the need. She also advised to take special care to elderly and sick women.
SAD ASKS CM TO INSTRUCT POLICE TO USE PERSUASION AND STOP HUMILIATING PUNJABIS
SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Friday strongly urged Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to immediately reign in those members of the police force who are subjecting Punjabis to humiliation, not sparing even the ladies and the elderly.
He also urged his party’s leaders, especially the legislators, to stand by the people in their respective areas and to coordinate between them and the administration to ensure the supply of essential commodities.
SAD chief also directed them to be vigilant against any emergency being faced by members of any family and to ensure that they are delivered the necessary help. “Contact me directly wherever they face difficulties in delivery of service to the people. Cooperate with the administration and seek their cooperation. But wherever you face resistance, contact me directly,” he said.
Sukhbir said that SAD would function as the responsible opposition in the State and back all constructive efforts of the government in dealing with a difficult situation.
However, Sukhbir asked the senior police officials to issue necessary instructions to ensure that the police officials down the line use persuasion and, wherever necessary, a show of firmness rather than use of brute force and utter insensitivity while carrying out their onerous task.“I fully realize that the police officials are themselves under tremendous strain and are performing a most challenging duty away from their families. I fully appreciate your contribution, especially at this difficult hour, but there is no need or justification in harassing and humiliating Punjabis as some officials have done at several places. No Punjabi will refuse to cooperate. Use persuasion and where necessary, firmness, but not brute force,” he said.
