Pulwama admin initiated action against miscreants assaulting Health Care Workers, damaging public property

Pulwama: District Authorities initiated action against the miscreants assaulting medical personnel in two separate incidents in Pulwama.

The Health Department Team was attacked by few miscreants when they visited Trichal village of pulwama on Tuesday to shift two COVID positive patients to an isolation centre.

During the exercise few miscreants turned hostile and attacked the Health care workers causing injuries to a medical officer and a lecturer besides a community health officer was also assaulted.

In a separate incident in Covid Care Center at MSME, IGC Lassipora, the inmates under isolation from last few days attacked the medical & associated departments’ staff and damaged property worth lakhs of rupees.

“We were doing our duties , three inmates attacked me suddenly and caused an arm injury to me. Meanwhile a staff member tried to intervene who was also attacked and got a head injury”, said a staff member on duty.

“The inmates have also damaged a transformer besides defacing the govt property including a washroom” said Tehsildar Litter.

He added that the culprits later pelted stones on the staff and tried to escape from the Covid care centre.

Tehsildar Litter said that the action has been initiated and FIR stands lodged against the miscreants as per relevant acts.

Meanwhile senior officials from the Adminstration said that such incidents are highly condemnable as health officials are working unrelentingly during the pandemic with the sole purpose to save lives and prevent the furthering of infection.

He said that Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, has been invoked in both the incidents which makes the acts of violence against medical staff a cognizable and non-bailable offence besides providing compensation for injury to healthcare
personnel or for damage or loss to property.

Besides relevent sections of DM Act and Sec 188, 269, 270 IPC will be invoked ,he added.
It is pertinent to mention that the punishment for such attacks can be 3 months to 5 years and a fine of ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh. In severe cases, where there are grievous injuries, the punishment can be 6 months to 7 years and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh.