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Covid-19 Latest: Uttarakhand cops appoint civilian police officers for local monitoring
Civilians have been roped in by the Uttarakhand police for monitoring cases of home quarantine and for implementation of other lockdown provisions in the state.
Uttarakhand Police has decided to appoint Special Police Officers (SPO) from among the civilian population to monitor cases of home quarantine and to work closely with the local police to boost Covid-19 containment efforts in the state, said officials.
The appointment of SPOs also shields the police personnel from exposure to the people suspected of carrying the virus. Several areas in the state have been sealed for non-essential movement after some members of the Tablighi Jamaat living in those areas tested positive for Covid-19.
The sealed areas include Bhagat Singh Colony, Kargi Grant, some villages in Doiwala and Suddhowala areas, entire Dehradun district, Banbhulpura area in Nainital district and a village in Banbasa town of Champawat district. Extra police force has been deployed in all these areas for the strict enforcement of the restrictions.
“Police have decided to appoint some residents of those areas as SPOs who will work in co-ordination with local police concerned to implement the lockdown and restrictions. They will also be keeping an eye on the people put in home quarantine there and inform the administration on finding any person hiding in the area or entering there discreetly,” said Ashok Kumar, director general (law & order), Uttarakhand police.
Kumar added that locals are likely to be more amenable to requests for compliance made by their fellow residents who will perform the duties of an SPO.
“However, the police will also be present there and won’t be withdrawn. The SPOs would assist them and not take police’s duties,” Kumar clarified.
Till Wednesday afternoon, total Covid-19 positive cases in the state stood at 32 including 25 members from the Tablighi Jamaat, who have emerged as the biggest cluster of infection across the country.
The senior police official also said that all the policemen on duty were taking required measures to protect themselves from the infection.
“Our personnel on the ground are taking precautions like wearing masks and gloves, using hand sanitizers and maintaining social distancing,” he said.
Kumar said that eight policemen were in quarantine.
“So far only eight policemen have been put in quarantine as a precautionary measure as they were in the team that caught 13 Jamaatis trying to discreetly enter the state on April 1 in US Nagar district. Three of the 13 Jamaatis were later tested positive for Covid-19,” he said.
Many police personnel said they were a bit apprehensive while serving near the sealed areas.
“Of course we are a little worried about our own lives as we, too, are humans and are out in the open while on duty. With reports of some cops testing positive in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi after coming in contact with the Jamaatis, we are now extra vigilant,” said a head constable deployed near Bhagat Singh Colony in Dehradun, which has been put under restrictions by the administration.
Earlier today, the state government again warned the Jamaat members of strict action if they didn’t present themselves for medical examination.
