BBMP faces flak for violently forcing citizens to undergo Covid-19 test

A video of citizens being manhandled and dragged to a Covid testing kiosk has gone viral on social media

Using force to get people tested for Covid-19, the highhandedness of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials has drawn flak from citizens.

The brutal act of BBMP personnel assaulting a few citizens and forcing them to undergo an RT-PCR test near Dharmarayaswamy Temple in Nagarthapet of Central Bengaluru on Monday left many shocked. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, leaving the civic body in a fix.

As seen in the video, BBMP officials are assaulting two youngsters and forcing them to undergo an RT-PCR test in front of the Dharmarayaswamy Temple. A resident of the locality, who witnessed the incident, said the officials were forcing many passers-by to get tested. "They forced me to get tested as well. I agreed and so they did not harm me physically," the resident said.

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Dr Shivakumar, Health Officer, BBMP (South), said higher authorities have been informed about the incident and the matter has been referred for further action. "It is an unfortunate incident. We have warned our officials against such behaviour," he said.

The health officer clarified that only those people who were found violating Covid lockdown rules and venturing out were asked to get themselves checked. "We have directed our staff not to force anybody for the testing," he added further.

However, contradicting the official's statement, another resident of the locality said, "The officials began testing as early as 8:30 am. Until 10 am, the government has allowed people to go out and buy essential commodities. But whoever comes out, they drag them to the testing kiosk by force." The resident further revealed that this kind of behaviour by the officials has gripped the area with fear and residents now avoid stepping out altogether.

DH reached out to Rajendra Cholan, Special Commissioner (Health), seeking reaction on the highhandedness of the officials. However, Cholan's number was repeatedly switched off.