Scenes from Delhi’s two check posts: A dead boy on a motorcycle and a man who left home to avoid a quarrel

On Thursday, the police booked 5,053 persons for violating the lockdown orders and impounded 930 vehicles. Over the two previous days, over 10,000 people were caught for violating the prohibitory order.

Two policemen signalled an approaching motorcycle to halt at a check post in Greater Kailash II on Thursday afternoon. There were three persons on it: Two weeping men with a dead child - about five years old - between them.

A stretch along Delhi’s Tilak Marg near ITO on Day 2 of the three week nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

The motorcycle slowed, one of the policemen only slightly waved his hand to signal them to proceed. No words were exchanged.

“Only people who actually need to step out are crossing this checkpoint today. The situation is very different from Wednesday (Day 1 of the country-wide lockdown) when we had to force many motorists to turn around,” said assistant sub-inspector Sukh Pal, recovering from what he had just witnessed.

Several kilometres away, on Vikas Marg in East Delhi, many motorists were yet to abide by the lockdown rules. Among them was a private security guard who had left his west Delhi home in a huff when his wife and mother began quarrelling with each other on Tuesday. On Thursday, he not only wanted to return home but was also obliged to hand over the office keys to his employer.

Hindustan Times on Thursday visited the two check posts to see who were the motorists still out on the roads and what their compulsions were.

GREATER KAILASH

At GK-II, most motorists were those seeking medical aid or returning from a hospital visit. Or at least that is what they claimed when halted by the police.

They readily brought out prescriptions, doctor’s appointments or produced packet full of medicines. One van had an elderly woman on a ventilator. The police didn’t ask too many questions. They kept their distance, interacting with the motorists through the passenger’s side window.

The motorists included many doctors, some of who didn’t even bother to roll down their car windows. The relevant stickers on their cars’ windshield were enough. Health professionals providing home services were let through, their words taken at face value.

“Over the last three days, we have come to recognise the faces of some of them,” said Jagdeep Singh, a traffic police officer posted there.

A man-daughter duo in a car was asked to name the hospital they were returning from. Both mentioned Moolchand Hospital in unison. The police believed them.

No questions were asked of food delivery agents, municipality vehicle occupants, ambulance drivers or motorcyclists with elderly people riding pillion.

Among the motorists passing through without valid IDs were those who wanted to refuel their cars and one who wanted to get tyre pressure checked. “My mother is ill. I just want to be prepared,” said one motorist.

A man driving a Mercedes drove away after telling the police he was returning after donating blood. He pointed to a patch on his arm as evidence. An elderly security guard riding a bicycle followed close behind. “Uncle, please wear a mask. You are at high risk,” a policeman told him.

There were also many who simply said they were out to buy essentials. Some of them narrated their home addresses to sound convincing. “There was something I couldn’t find in my market, so I am driving to the M-block market,” one of them told the police.

VIKAS MARG

On Vikas Marg in Shakarpur, motorists argued with the policemen who were relatively more reluctant to let people pass through without question. Among them was a man who claimed that he was out to pick his sister outside RML Hospital. The police told him to tell her to catch a bus.

Others who were stopped included men who said they felt “lonely” at home, some who were out to pick relatives or headed to stay at a friend’s home.

Then there were those who needed urgent medical care. One of them was a young girl from UP’s Vaishali who was referred to Chacha Nehru Hospital for a serious ailment. “We decided to head out on our own when an ambulance failed to arrive for over two hours,” said her father.

Another was an elderly woman driven to a hospital by her son for dialysis. The policeman saw her prescription from afar and signalled them to proceed.

“Most motorists have genuine reasons to be out, but every fifth motorist here comes up with a lame excuse. We are impounding their vehicles and booking them if they argue or refuse to turn around,” said a constable there.

On Thursday, the police booked 5,053 persons for violating the lockdown orders and impounded 930 vehicles. Over the two previous days, over 10,000 people were caught for violating the prohibitory order. The police have also issued nearly 14,000 ‘curfew passes’ to enable essential service providers to commute without obstruction.