The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) decision to seal Bapujinagar and Padarayanapura wards sparked panic across the city amidst rumours that a stricter lockdown would be enforced in other areas too. As phones pinged with false alerts, many citizens rushed to stock up on more essential commodities. Serpentine queues were seen in front of grocery shops and pharmacies in several parts of the city.
At HRBR Layout, messages were being circulated about the seal to be put in place by the BBMP and police from Saturday till the end of the month. Ranjani Srinivasan, a resident of the area, said that the messages caused panic among many residents, who were worried about the availability of fruits, vegetables and milk. Similarly, citizens in Yelahanka were also reportedly told that the area would be sealed.
The panic was further fuelled by a few television channels carrying reports that other areas like Sanjaynagar, Srinagar and Girinagar would be sealed.
BBMP Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao stepped in to dispel such false messages. They both took to social media platforms to inform citizens that only Padarayanapura and Bapujinagar, which had been identified as hotspots, had been declared as containment zones and sealed.
In a tweet, Mr. Anil Kumar said: “Dear citizens, I appeal to all of you not to panic and go out to buy essentials... Urge TV news channels to report facts and not speculate.”
Mr. Rao, while addressing reporters, said: “There are adequate supplies of all essential commodities and the shops will be open and hence there is no need to panic buy.”
