DM Monitoring
Guwahati: There were reports of violence against the police in Assam on account of the nationwide lockdown. A policeman was injured by a mob at Chapor in Dhubri district. In Bongaigaon district, a mob pelted stones at the police. The police fired in the air to disperse the crowd.
The two incidents occurred when people wanted to open shops for buyers to get access to essential food items. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said such instances cannot be tolerated.
On Friday, images of scores of people flocking to designated places in and around the city to get a hold of fresh vegetables, in complete violation of the lockdown, resulted in Sonowal immediately ordering the closure of such spots. He asked the people of Assam to exercise restraint. With the closure of designated spots, Sonowal said alternatives will be provided soon to make vegetables accessible.
A visibly distressed Sonowal, while addressing the media in Jorhat district, expressed shock and surprise at the flouting of lockdown norms, and said that he was sad as both the state and the Central government were trying hard to put curbs to stop the spread of COVID-19. He then ordered senior officials and bureaucrats of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led-state government to issue ‘alternatives’ for people to get a hold of fresh vegetables. Among such ‘alternatives’ will be delivering perishable food items, especially vegetables, via mobile vans at localities in and around the city’s 31 municipal wards.
