It appears as if the Telangana police are unable to streamline the implementation of the lockdown orders in the State, even as baton-wielding policemen went into overdrive since Monday night. This was evident right from Monday's violent incidents till Wednesday's issue of dealing with inmates of hostels and PGs.
The quirky decisions made by the police department ended up leaving thousands of people stranded, as was evident from the kilometre-long queues outside the police stations in the State capital on Wednesday. This unprecedented situation, without any planning or warning, left thousands of students and young employees working here without any way out, as State borders were sealed and vehicles seized.
Confusion and chaos reigned as borders across the State witnessed humongous traffic jams, and hundreds flocked police stations to get the much-needed one-time ‘special pass’ forms. Of course, there was no social distancing seen at borders or outside police stations, and videos soon emerged showing crowds wrestling with each other over the few copies of forms, that unsurprisingly were not enough for all.
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“When the entire country is under lockdown, the very idea of giving special passes by Hyderabad and Cyberabad police itself is against the law,” a senior police officer said.
The whole purpose of people staying away from each other was hence defeated on the first few days of the lockdown itself. While police have taken cognizance of PG and hostel owners forcibly vacating their premises and leaving residents in the lurch, the solution does not seem to be anywhere close at hand, as students and young employees are stranded anyway.
According to a hostelier in SR Nagar, two policemen visited their hostel after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 21-day lockdown address to the nation on Tuesday. The police personnel convinced the inmates to vacate and go back to their native places.
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“They assured us of giving special transit passes after which we won’t be facing any hassle on the road,” said the 21-year-old engineering graduate who was waiting outside SR Nagar police station with an application to get the ‘assured’ pass.
The huge gathering outside the police stations in Hyderabad and Cyberabad commisisonerates led to the dangerous congregation of people. This goof-up was directly attributed to lack of communications between DGP office and Hyderabad police, a police source said.
“This miscommunication led to the high-level discussion between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers,” the officer said.