No social distancing at milk distribution, cops cane public

Social distancing rules were thrown to the wind at two government events where was distributed for free on Friday. Things went so bad in Kamalanagar, West Bengaluru, that police had to baton-charge the people to ensure order.

More than 2,000 people gathered in front of the BBMP office in Kamalanagar to get the free milk. Few of them wore masks or maintained distance. Police quickly arrived at the spot and struggled for about half an hour before baton-charging the crowd.

There was similar chaos in Kalasipalya, central Bengaluru, but police managed to rein in the crow without using force.

The BBMP has been distributing truckloads of free milk mong the poor and the needy in different parts of the city. When news about the milk distribution spread in Kamalanagar, thousands of people, including the well-offs, arrived at the BBMP office. It was utter chaos. Not many wore masks or adhered to social distancing. Police said they struggled to maintain order. “When we cleared the crowd from the BBMP office, people started gathering on the adjacent streets,” a senior police officer said. “We had a hard time convincing the crowd about the importance of maintaining social distance. Many of them started arguing with our officers, so we had to mildly baton-charge them,” the officer explained.

The officer said many people in the crowd appeared to be well-off. “It’s unfortunate to see so many people vying for free milk even though they can afford to buy it,” the officer said.

At Kalasipalya, home to a large number of labourers, the crowd formed a queue but didn’t maintain social distancing. Police, however, managed to set things right soon.

Police said they had a hard tough controlling the crowds at other places where free milk was distributed.