While refusing to go into stray incidents of police using lathis to send away people assembled outside HOPCOMS stores to buy fruits and vegetables here on Sunday, Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar said that the police are adopting a humane approach in enforcing the guidelines.
During his one-hour-long interaction with people through the Mangaluru City Police Facebook page and N. Shashi Kumar CP Twitter account, Mr. Kumar said that there were clear instructions from the top brass of the department not to use force.
“I cannot go into specific instances of use of force to clear the crowd gathered at public place. Please do not create circumstances that force us to make use of lathis,” he said.
When a citizen told him that people may have to make use of vehicle to reach grocery and vegetable shops, Mr. Kumar said that the police have been sensitised on such aspects.
While strictly enforcing the guidelines, local police have been given freedom to allow movement of people in two-wheelers when the nearest medical shop or grocery shop is about 5 km away. The police are allowing online food delivery boys to operate beyond the permitted time of 10 p.m. during the weekend curfew when there is a genuine reason.
While asking people to come forward to help those in the neighbourhood in need of food and medical treatment and tests, Mr. Kumar said that the police will not allow anybody to roam around in the city citing this reason. The police have not issued any pass for political and other organisations and action will be taken to seize vehicles of all such persons who are roaming around without a valid reason. Courts have been asked not to release these vehicles till the end of lockdown.
Mr. Kumar said that instances of bed blocking, medicine hoarding and other irregularities can be reported on Ph: 112 Emergency Response Support System.
