Cops out in full force for curbs
Seize over 5, 600 vehicles in one day
The police on Saturday was out in full force as it took the lockdown enforcement up by several notches, cracking down on those out on the streets. In the process, the cops fairly liberally put to work their sticks even as they went about seizing some 5,600 vehicles during the day, just inside the city limits and also booked a large number of cases against people for violating the lockdown.
City police commissioner Anjani Kumar who on Friday warned of a strict implementation of the lockdown, reiterated on Saturday the resolve of the police to keep those people who have no business to be outside their homes off the streets. The police chiefs of Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionerates — V.C. Sajjanar and Mahesh Bhagwat — too, were out on the streets, as was the Hyderabad city police chief, overseeing the lockdown enforcement.Anjani Kumar said that only individuals allowed to be on work as part of the health services, other emergency and essential services and their vehicles will be allowed to ply during the lockdown hours and any other vehicle found on the streets will be seized and cases on people roaming about on such vehicles will be filed under the Disaster Management Act. He also called on shopkeepers and other business establishments to start winding up their operations from around 9.30 am so they can down their shutters in time. Everyone, other than those permitted, must be back inside their homes by 10 am, Anjani Kumar reiterated.
Meanwhile, cops were seen using their sticks quite freely on the backs, legs and even on the bikes that many youth were travelling on at various checkposts as they tried to impress upon youngsters that they should stay home and not roam about during the lockdown hours.
However, the enthusiasm of the police officials at some places got the better of them as in the case of a young man who was rushing to Osmania General Hospital to donate blood to a pregnant woman who urgently needed an infusion. The young man, Goutham, in a video posted on social media platforms, said he was stopped by the police near Dilsukhnagar while he was on his way to OGH as a pregnant woman needed
B+ blood blood, which was his blood group.
“I explained that I was on my way to do this and also showed a related medical report about the blood requirement. However, I was fined
`1,000 for lockdown violation. After that I went to the hospital and donated the blood and was given a blood donor certificate by the hospital,” he said.