Chaos at a vaccination centre in Silchar; Police resort to Lathi Charge after beneficiaries block road

Today morning, chaos broke at TT College which is a session site for vaccination. Located in Hailkandi Road, the College is adjacent to the main road which connects several parts of the city to Silchar Medical College and Hospital and many other private nursing homes. The dejected beneficiaries blocked the road as a mark of protest and the traffic jam caused by it forced the Police to intervene.

According to available information, the beneficiaries were waiting for their doses since 4:00 am in morning. But at 9:00, as per their statement, they were told that only 250 beneficiaries will get the doses. “We have been waiting like this for the last three days. They have asked us to return. Today, they locked the room and said there won’t be any vaccination beyond 250. We are taking leaves from our work and standing hours in the queue for the doses. Who will reimburse our losses? Today, a vaccination certificate is necessary for so many things, but no one is here to listen to our woes,” said a local protester.

After they blocked the roads, Police rushed to the spot and resorted to Lathi Charge. “How can you block the road, there are patients traveling on this road. If there is an issue with the vaccination, the matter must be handled in the center itself. What is the point of blocking the roads?” the officer on the ground questioned.

OC Rangirkhari, Soumya Jyoti Das said, “It was a minor incident and the situation is normal now.” He confirmed that the Police did not detain any individual regarding the incident.

An official at the vaccination centre stated that they followed the instructions given to them. “We understand that the people are staying in the queue for hours, but it is very little we can do about it. People have been told that Covaxin will only be administered if there is a prior online booking. Now, despite all the communications, people queue up here and get irked when we say no,” said the official who wished not to be named.

The official added, “Also, most of the chaos get created due to Chinese whisper. They believe in the rumours and turn up to the centre. Even today, there was no official communication from us, they believed whatever they had to and started protesting.”

A female beneficiary, who resorted to protest said that nowhere it was mentioned that only 250 doses will be administered. “The Police used force on us. They abused us. A female Police constable said she will strip us naked and beat us. What is this language? Why should someone in uniform use such obscene language? It is my request to look into the matter as we beneficiaries in the queue don’t deserve to be treated in this manner,” said a female beneficiary.

District Immunisation Officer, Sumona Naiding was unavailable for a comment on the chaos today.