Officers on COVID-testing-duty attacked with a dagger, Female ASHA workers face abuses; FIR lodged

Cachar District administration has launched a COVID testing drive across the district. DC Keerthi Jalli reiterated time and again that the district’s strategy to contain the outbreak is “identify and isolate.” However, in rural areas, the officers, multi-purpose workers and ASHA employees are facing a lot of problems due to lack of cooperation.

Block Programme Manager, Burhan Hoque Laskar visited in Katigoragh yesterday to test people who came in contact with a COVID positive patient associated with Anganwadi. When Laskar along with a multi-purpose worker in PPE and Asha employee reached the spot they faced a lot of resistance.

“We explained it to them that we are doing this for their benefit and they agreed to cooperate,” said Laskar.

However, as they entered the house of that COVID positive Anganwadi worker to test other members of the family, a man identified as Kamrul Islam came and threatened Laskar and his team. “He hurled abuses and left. I know him briefly, he is a local resident and remote relative of the family. However, we got back to work and to be honest, I did not even understand who was he abusing,” informed Laskar.

To their dismay, a few minutes later, Kamrul Islam came with a dagger to attack the team deployed to perform COVID tests. “I was shocked. He kept saying if we step out, he will cut us into pieces. A teacher came rushing to stop him and I immediately called the OC of Katigorah Police outpost who assured me he is sending officials to take stock of the situation,” explained BPM, Burhan Hoque.

Hoque has lodged an FIR and says his family is spending anxious times. “We work till late, keep riding to remote locations. On a Sunday, we thought we will work and get some people tested and this is what happened to us. Now my family is not even letting me step out fearing I might get attacked,” he added.

The matter has been informed to the SP Cachar, Bhanwar Lal Meena and Katigoragh Police said they are investigating it further.

A few days back in a similar incident at Binnakandy TE (Lakhipur Block), a testing camp was attacked by unidentified locals. As per available information, miscreants came riding a scooter (AS 11 N 5852) and misbehaved with two female workers in front of a doctor deployed there.

The miscreants allegedly blocked the road of the lady staff & MMU vehicle and warned them that “they will strip the female staff naked” if they don’t run away. The matter was informed to SDM&HO Lakhipur.

The administration has taken cognizance of the issues. Speaking with Barak Bulletin, additional deputy commissioner, Sumit Sattavan said, “Our teams moving in the field are facing tremendous challenges.”

Listing the challenges, he adds, “The threat of virus infection by moving in the containment zone, dehydration by wearing PPE, and worse of all- slangs being thrown, them being physically attacked. So yes, there are many unimaginable threats our health team faces on the field, the coronavirus is the least fearful.”

Attacks and threats are not the only obstacles administration is encountering at this stage. With the outbreak spreading thick and fast in the district, human resource is also a big challenge. Amidst all of that, resources are getting wasted too. Recently a lab-tech team under Udharbond BPHC along with 200 nos of RAT and RTPCR kit had visited Pathemara TE for taking swab samples from the families of 40 nos of COVID Positive persons.

As per sources in the administration, even after the door to door visits, the team did not get any cooperation from tea estate management or the family members of the COVID positive patients. “After repeated counselling by our health team, they were very much unwilling to give swab samples due to inappropriate reasons. Without receiving any positive cooperation from Pathemara TE management, our team had to return back to UBPHC with only 8 nos of RAT and RTPCR samples,” informed the source in the administration.

As the number of deaths increases especially in the rural areas, the administration will have to expedite the testing even more. “It is the responsibility of the people’s representatives to communicate with the locals. We can learn a lesson from Himanta Biswa Sarma’s playbook. He himself visits quarantine centres, containment zones and at times ICUs. He does it to send across a message and make people feel safe, which helps doctors and administration do its duty. It is time for the political leaders of Barak Valley to go out and help the administration by generating awareness in their respective constituencies,” said a local journalist turned author.

Not only political leaders but intellectuals across the spectrum have a role to play in generating awareness. Will they step out, it remains to be seen.