With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.
Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated.
With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.
According to the ministry, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 2,687 cases of which 259 patients have recovered/discharged while 178 patients have lost their lives due to the virus.
Delhi comes in at the second position with 1,561 cases of which 30 patients have recovered while 30 patients have succumbed to the virus.
Tamil Nadu is the third state with over 1,000 cases at 1,204 cases of which 81 have recovered and 12 have died due to the deadly virus.
Rajasthan is nearing the 1,000 mark with 969 cases of which 147 people have recovered while 3 patients are dead. Madhya Pradesh reported 730 cases including 51 patients recovered and 50 patients dead.
On Tuesday, in an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the 21-day national lockdown has been extended till May 3. (ANI)
No unchecked movement of people except for those maintaining essential services and providing medical care will be permitted from the COVID-19 ‘hotspot’ zones, according to the new lockdown guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday.
The ministry emphasized that even the activities allowed under the new guidelines will not be permitted in the ‘hotspot’ zones, or the areas/clusters with high occurrence of COVID-19 cases.
The ‘hotspots’ will be determined as per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). In these hotspots, containment zones will be demarcated by states/UTs/district administrations as per the guidelines of MoHFW. In these containment zones, the activities allowed under these guidelines will not be permitted, the MHA guidelines said.
“There shall be strict perimeter control in the area of the containment zones to ensure that there is no unchecked inward/outward movement of population in these zones except for maintaining essential services (including medical emergencies and law and order related duties) and government business continuity,” it said.
Several hotspot zones have been declared by various state governments to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The MHA has given a detailed list of services which will be allowed from April 20 in areas not demarcated as ‘hotspots’. There, multiple services will be allowed with conditions.
The MHA guidelines came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 amid surging coronavirus cases in the country. (ANI)
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) must be supported, hours after US President Donald Trump’s announcement of halting his country’s funding to the organisation.
“It is my belief that the WHO must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against COVID-19,” Guterres said in a statement on Tuesday cited by Xinhua news agency.
It is “not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the WHO or any other humanitarian organisation in the fight against the virus,” he added.
Trump said that the funding would be suspended while officials would conduct a review “to assess the WHO’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus” that emerged in China late last year.
Guterres noted that “now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences.”
“Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis,” the UN chief said, adding that “the lessons learned will be essential to effectively address similar challenges, as they may arise in the future.”
Trump has been very critical of the WHO stating that the organisation was aware of the dangers of the coronavirus months before it took action.
The United States is the worst-hit country from the coronavirus. The virus has killed over 25,000 people in the country since the outbreak. There are at least 5,94,207 cases of coronavirus in the country, marking the highest number of cases among all countries in the world.
The WHO has been criticised for its role in tackling the health crisis brought upon by the pandemic that has infected around 1.9 million people and killed 126,019 across the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 but hinted at some relaxations post April 20 at places where COVID-19 cases remain under control and no spurt in the cases is reported.
He also urged the people to bear with the situation as restrictions were necessary to stop coronavirus pandemic from acquiring monstrous proportions in the country.
In his address to the nation, Modi assured the people that the country has ample reserves of medicines, food grains and other essential goods and that the supply chain is continuously being streamlined.
Modi also highlighted that India’s holistic and integrated approach towards handling the coronavirus crisis is the reason why the country is in a “well-managed” position with respect to the spread of the disease.
“It is clearly evident from the experience of the past few days that we have chosen the correct path. Our country has greatly benefited from social distancing and lockdown. From the economy’s point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but compared to the value of the lives of Indian citizens, it is nothing. The path that India has taken within our limited resources has become a topic of discussion in the entire world today,” he said.
“The state governments have also acted with great responsibility, managing the situation round the clock. I have been in constant touch with the states on how the fight against corona should progress in India. Everyone has suggested that the lockdown should be continued. Many states have in fact already decided and declared to continue the lockdown,” the Prime Minister said.
Speaking further he said: “Keeping all the suggestions in mind, it has been decided that the lockdown in India will have to be extended till 3rd May. That means until May 3, each and every one of us, will have to remain in the lockdown. During this time, we must continue maintaining discipline in the way we have been doing till now.”
Prime Minister Modi said that India has so far been able to avert the harm caused by coronavirus to a large extent due to restraint by countrymen.
“People have endured immense suffering to save the country. I am well aware of the problems you have faced – some dut to lack of food, some due to restriction on movement, and others for staying away from home and family. However, for the sake of your country, you are fulfilling your duties like a disciplined soldier. This is the power of ‘We, the People of India’ that our Constitution talks about,” he said.
The Prime Minister asserted that the lockdown was announced in the country at a time when the country had only 550 coronavirus cases.
“When we had only 550 corona cases, then itself India had taken the big step of a 21-day complete lockdown. India did not wait for the problem to aggravate. Rather, we attempted to nip the problem in the bud itself by taking quick decisions as soon as it arose,” he said.
“In such a crisis it is not right to compare our situation with any other country. However, it is also true that if we look at corona-related figures in the world’s big, powerful countries, India today is in a very well-managed position. A little over a month ago, several countries had been at par with India in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases. But today, corona cases in those countries are 25 to 30 times higher than those in India. Thousands of people have tragically died in those countries. Had India not adopted a holistic and integrated approach, taking quick and decisive action, the situation in India today would have been completely different,” he added.
The Prime Minister appealed the people not to let coronavirus spread to new areas. “A single new patient at even the smallest local level should be a matter of concern for us. The tragic death of even a single patient from coronavirus should increase our concern even further,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that there will be an evaluation of places on how much the lockdown is being followed.
“We will have to keep a close and strict watch on the places which run the risk of becoming hotspots. The creation of new hotspots will further challenge our hard work and penance. Hence, let us extend the strictness and austerity in the fight against corona for the upcoming one week,” he said.
“Until April 20, every town, every police station area, every district, every state will be evaluated on how much the lockdown is being followed. The extent to which the region has protected itself from coronavirus will be noted. Areas that will succeed in this litmus test, which will not be in the hotspot category and will have less likelihood of turning into hotspot; may be allowed to open up select necessary activities from April 20,” he added.
Modi asserted that the permission will be conditional and the rules for stepping outside the house will be very strict.
“Permission will be withdrawn immediately if lockdown rules are broken. Hence, we must make sure we ourselves don’t become careless, not allow anyone else to do so. A detailed guideline will be issued by the government tomorrow in this regard.”
He said that the provision of the limited exemption in identified areas after April 20 has been done keeping in mind the livelihood of our poor people.
“Those who earn daily, make ends meet with daily income, they are my family. One of my top-most priorities is to reduce the difficulties in their lives. The government has made every possible effort to help them through Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojna. Their interests have also been taken care of while making the new guidelines,” he said.
Modi said that there are now more than 220 function testing labs in the country and one lakh beds have been arranged. He said that there are more than 600 hospitals which are dedicated for COVID-19 treatment.
The Prime Minister requested India’s young scientists to come forward and take a lead in developing a vaccine for coronavirus.
On the birth anniversary of the father of Indian Consitution, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the Prime Minister said that the display of collective strength is a true tribute to him. “Baba Saheb’s life inspires us to combat each challenge with determination and hard work. I bow before Baba Saheb on behalf of all of us,” he added.
Modi also praised the citizens for abiding by the lockdown rules and celebrating festivals with restraint while staying within their homes.
He said that the Central and State governments are working together to minimise the problems of the farmers as there is harvesting season of the Rabi crop.
India’s total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said earlier on Tuesday. (ANI)
Supporting the decision to extend the lockdown, the Congress on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not speak of the government’s strategy about testing for coronavirus during his address to the nation and asked if migrants who have completed their quarantine period will be allowed to return to their homes.
Addressing a press conference through video conferencing, Congress leader Manish Tewari said the Prime Minister told the nation during his address what he expects out of the people but “he did not address the concerns of the people or did not talk about what people want to hear that the government is doing.”
Tewari said that there is a broad agreement between the Centre and states on extending the lockdown. Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown on March 24 and extended till May 3 during his address to the nation on Tuesday morning.
Tewari said that going by scientific evidence available, COVID-19 has 14-day incubation cycle and the total lockdown period of 40 days will cover three incubation cycles of the virus.
“If that is the epidemiological advice which the Prime Minister has received, that is understandable,” he said.
Tewari said the Prime Minister did not speak of migrant workers who rushed towards their homes when the first lockdown was announced.
He said many were stopped and quarantined on the borders of various states.
“They are in camps which are spread out across various parts of the country. Those migrants, most of them have completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine, what are you going to do about them? Are you going to allow them to go back to their homes? Is there a calibrated plan as to permitting them or facilitating their travel?” he asked.
He said the only medical treatment available for coronavirus is pre-emption and prevention.
“And for pre-emption and prevention, what you require is a proliferation of testing. What we have not heard from the Prime Minister is what is the strategy of the government with regard to testing,” he said.
Tewari asked if testing will only be confined to hotspots or will there be community-level screening which will be followed with testing.
“What is the unified strategy that has been evolved in consultation with the state governments with regard to testing,” he asked.
Tewari asked about the roadmap for harvesting. “How are you going to allow people from villages to go out into the fields, carry out the harvest? How was that harvest really going to be then collected and taken to procurement centres and how is that procurement going to be facilitated,” he asked.
Referring to the poor and vulnerable sections of the society, he said MGNREGA jobs were at one per cent of what they were in March and February of 2020.
“There are only 1.9 lakh families who have been able to get work under MGNREGA in the month of April 2020, as opposed to 1.6 crore in March and 1.8 crore in February. What is the government’s strategy to deal with it,” he asked.
The Congress leader said the government should give full wages to people who have active job cards under MGNREGA.
He also asked about action against employers who are sacking their staff. Tewari said the Ministry of Labour in March had written a letter to all employers across the country, the Prime Minister has appealed twice that no employer should sack his workers at this point in time.
“We require compassion, but, all of you are aware of what is happening? What is happening in your industry in the media industry itself? Will the government take action against those employers, who in this time of need and this time of destitution are really looking at their bottom lines rather than at the stomachs of their employees? How is the Government going to deal with those employers?” he asked.
He said the government should ensure that every section including internal migrants without ration cards get ration.
“How are you going to ensure that food reaches all these people? These are extremely valid concerns beyond the larger question of the revival of the economy that the Prime Minister needed to address. He needed to tell the country that these are the 15 things that the government has done in the last 21 days to protect the country,” Tewari said. (ANI)
A large group of migrant workers gathered in Bandra demanding permission to return to their native states after the nationwide lockdown was extended till May 3.
“The migrant labourers had gathered in Bandra demanding permission to return to their native states. However, they were later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate,” said a police official.
Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra minister Aditya Thackeray said the union government has not been able to take a call on sending migrant labour to their native places.
“The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed, or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Government not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They don’t want food or shelter, they want to go back home.”
The 21-day lockdown, which was to end on Tuesday, has been extended till May 3. The lockdown has been enforced to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (ANI)
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has released over 22 lakh metric tonnes (MT) foodgrain to States and UTs till April 13.
“The FCI has released over 22 lakh metric tonne foodgrains to States and UTs till April 13. We are ensuring the supply of essential goods and services,” Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, MHA, said on Tuesday.
“Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), a provision has made to provide 5 kg foodgrain — rice/wheat — to 80 crore beneficiaries free of cost for three months,” she added.
She further said that as many as 5,000 queries were solved through grievance centres till April 13.
As many as 5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free foodgrains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. 3,985 MT of pulses has been dispatched to various States and Union Territories for distribution. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], April 14 (ANI): Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has allocated over 22 lakh metric tonnes (MT) foodgrain to States and UTs till April 13.
It’s only a
Virus. But it’s the Pandemic Virus! Who was responsible? Superstition, blind
faith, witches brew and conspiracies are back in the ‘Age of Reason’ and
science. Anthropocentric (human centric) confidence is meeting its nemesis. People
forget, nature can’t be ruled.
Nature is
full of viruses. There are some millions of strains and scientists cannot quite
agree on a classification. What’s more, viruses are constantly mutating without
the help of scientists in white coats. Nature is their driver, scientist and
spy in chief.
A virus is
essentially a RNA or a DNA with a bit of coating in many. It has confounded the
scientific world for classification as it is neither a non-living entity nor
quite a living entity. It does not replicate by finding a partner and produce
baby viruses to be nurtured by mummy virus.
RNA and DNA are templates from a sort of Unicode. They are gene codes of all of life, be it microbes (bacteria etc), insects, mammals human beings, plants, fungus etc. Each species has its own code and within species there are small variations, such as hair colour, height, facial features, gender, functional ability (some become Ussain Bolts, others are best suited to watch TV) and so on. Of course environment also plays a part but the framework is all due to these guys, called RNA and DNA. And they make adjustments over years, thus giving rise to evolutionary changes.
A virus is essentially a RNA or a DNA with a bit of coating
RNA and DNA are made of small molecules called nucleotides. For those with a bit of chemistry background, both have guanine, adenine and cytosine. But DNA also has thymine while just to be different, RNA has uracil instead. They occur in different combinations thus giving each RNA and DNA a different character for the species. They have one further difference. RNA is usually a single string and DNA is two strings, the famous double helix structure. It gets more complex after that and we are not giving away free PhD courses here.
One other
character difference between the two for interest is that DNA is more stable
while RNA is quite unstable. RNA tends to change more frequently, hence some
viruses like coronaviruses mutate constantly.
RNA and DNA
are the reason life continues to replicate. These guys don’t want nirvana. Over
millions of years they have formed complex ways for perpetuity. Some formed
bacteria and continue like that, Others have become elephants etc. Many have
become plants and others have formed the human race for survival. When we say
life goes on, in fact it is the gene, the RNA and DNA that goes on. While we
make elaborate theories about soul and afterlife, these guys, RNA, DNA just
want to jump into the next generation and survive. They are not interested in God.
Some of
these guys didn’t bother to become exotic. They have remained in their most
basic form as RNA or DNA and found convenient way to near eternity. They
survive with a little protective protein coat and become parasites to replicate.
We call them viruses!
Viruses are
very, very, very small. They are about 10000 times smaller than a grain of
salt. They are also nimble. The
coronavirus has some 29,903 nucleotides. The smallest human chromosome is 50
million nucleotides with a total of 3,200,000,000 nucleotides in a human
DNA. With 3.2 billion relatives in tow, no wonder the human DNA has to make us
go through those complex rituals of finding a partner, marriage ceremony and
home making to get itself to the next generation. Believe it, it is not your
parents who push you into a marriage, it is the human gene trying to remain on
this earth through another generation.
The nimble virus
on the other hand doesn’t have to go through these rituals. But it has no life until
it joins a living thing. It just hangs around or degenerates. It survives by
finding something living, sneaks into its cells by crafty methods and then
replicates! It is the ultimate real life zombie film.
There are
viruses everywhere. Millions and trillions of them. Only around 5000 have been
studied. They are in every organism.
So what
about coronavirus. This virus has another capsule, as do many virus strains.
There is a halo appearance to this capsule with small mushroom type bits on it.
Hence it is called corona. Corona is a gaseous halo around a planet. There are
quite a few types of coronavirus strains. SARS-CoV-2
is a new mutation
causing the disease Covid-19.
This nasty virus usually attacks lower parts of the lungs rather than throat that other influenza viruses do. It attaches to the membrane of host cells. Poor suckers (host cells) get romantic with it and open up. In goes the Viral RNA. It twinkles its eyes (metaphorically) at everyone and finds its way into the host nucleus and DNA. There it becomes deceitful, raids the DNA, uses it and replicates like no tomorrow. Many more Coronavirus formations take form. They push out of the host cell membrane onto others. Some get sneezed out. If the host cells had a vocabulary, deceitful is the mildest word they would use as they are ripped apart.
An effigy of Covid19 at Moghalpura X road in Hyderbad
Then the
collateral damage starts. The cells that die form mucous. When cells die, it
leads to temperature as the body deals with toxins. The mucous accumulates. The
cells that are meant to push the mucous upwards into the mouth for us to spit
(bad habit) or swallow, are dying and unable to do so. When there is quite a
bit of mucous, the Oxygen from the air cannot get in properly while
Carbon-di-Oxide from blood cannot get out. No amount of ginger or haldi can
help at this stage. The whole body starts becoming toxic. Ventilators are used
to try and push in high concentration Oxygen in the hope that it will give time
to the body to build antibodies to destroy the virus.
The human
immune system is a remarkable defence army. There is no dithering politician to
control its timing. Normally the human body has had numerous mild infections
since birth. The immune system immediately does what scientists are trying to
do except it works faster. It looks at hostile cells, studies it (yes believe
it or not) and then builds counter cells, enzymes etc to destroy the hostile
invader. This has nothing to do with witches brew.
Once the
immune system has dealt with an invasion, it memorises it. Next time it is even
quicker off the mark. But sometimes the invasion is overwhelming, especially in
older people where the immune system is also in retirement mode, or in people
with illnesses such as diabetes where it has other distractions and is also slightly
compromised. In these cases the virus gets an advantage and may decapacitate
the body’s response. The person dies from lack of Oxygen reaching vital organs.
The
Covid-19 virus is called a novel virus, meaning a new mutation. That’s why
people do not have pre-existing immunity. The body is building immunity on the
go.
Viruses
change some of their RNA nucleotide sequences in a number of clever ways when
they realise hosts have effective defences. The host has to start building
immunity all over again.
They can get together with another virus of near similar strain within a host and create a different RNA nucleotide structure without affecting core one. This is called ‘recombination’. For instance there may be a strain from animal A, i.e. a bat, that gets into animal B, i.e. a pig. The pig may have some similar strains to human viruses. A new recombinant virus strain appears called novel virus. This newly mutated virus jumps into the human and we get a pandemic if the virus is dangerous.
Though widely believed, there is no evidence that the virus came from bat soup
Bats and
viruses like each other and have the ultimate deal. A lot of their
viruses spread to humans. ‘Kill all the bats, build a beautiful bat wall! Detain
them and deport them to Mars,’ you may be tempted to say if you think like an
American president. Its not that simple. Without bats, we may be short of food
as they eat insects, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. The ecosystem is very
complicated.
There are a
few other ways viruses change, one is called antigenic drift when
the protein cover of virus changes by mutational ability of virus code over
time. There is another called Antigenic shift when two
or more viral strains work together to change their protein cover thus fooling
the host immune system. Very clever these viruses. Cleverer than most politicians.
Virology is complicated.
One does not need a Chinese scientist stealing information from USA laboratories and accidentally spilling it in Wuhan wild animal market as some Americans want the world to think. Viruses have been doing this for millions of years and are quite deft at it. No wonder pandemics keep on recurring. Besides when laboratories fool around with viruses they also ensure there are antibody serums or vaccines. Nothing seems to have sprung up during the coronavirus pandemic.
It needs to
be said that there are good viruses as well. Viruses favourite victims are bacteria.
There are trillions of bacteria. There would be many more if viruses were not
invading them and killing them. We have viruses
in our guts, respiratory system (lungs) and reproductive tracts killing the
bad bacteria. These are called bacteriophages. We will be suffering from toxic
shocks if these viruses left in disgust.
In Russia and some Eastern European countries, viruses are used as phages to deal with antibiotic resistant bacteria. The science is too young and expensive in the rest of the west yet but not in Russia. Don’t ask me why. Big Pharma etc?
Phage
science is now looking at using
viruses to kill cancer cells in the body. This is an interesting and
exciting development. Since viruses can be specific, they are being developed
in laboratories to target cancer cells. The science is in its infancy and still
looking at how the body immune system can permit this exception.
Sadly there is no cure for the bad viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) when they are on the prowl. We can’t wage a war on viruses or send them packing. There are nearly a billion viruses in a square meter of earth surface! And they also literally fall from the sky as they exist in the outer stratosphere of earth too. We have to hide from a pandemic virus or build immunity.
Basically
run away from the virus and wash your hands. Soap destroys the outer membrane
of coronavirus thus rendering it impotent immediately.
The second
is to find a vaccine that will help to build immunity against the next wave. A naturally robust immune system can help many
as it has during this crises.
Corona
Virus has shown the world how weak the human race is. In the age of science and
reason, human beings had started to believe that the human race is in control
of everything. It is this false arrogance, a belief in infallibility of human
reason, that has made people forget that human society only knows a miniscule amount
about nature. That is why people want to believe that only a human conspiracy
can create a virus this potent! Quite simply, it is nature working hand in glove
with a tiny virus to outwit our immune systems, our vaccine programmes and most
importantly our silly boisterous political leaders.
Best
strategy now is, be a coward, be smart and hide from the virus until its
numbers go down substantially. Don’t stare it in the eye. Wait for a scientist,
not a holyman or a politician, find a vaccine. Even then, there is no guarantee
as these guys mutate. Forget the conspiracy theories, these viruses have been
at this game for millions of years even before the human race came on the scene.
300 millions years apparently.
With 918 new positive COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 31 deaths, the total number of coronavirus cases in India on Sunday climbed to 8447, including 764 cured and discharged, 1 migrated and 273 deaths, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
At present, there are 7409 active COVID-19 cases in the country.
The highest number of positive cases of coronavirus was reported from Maharashtra at 1761, including 127 deaths, followed by Delhi (1069 positive cases and 19 deaths), Tamil Nadu (969 positive cases and 10 deaths) and Rajasthan (700 positive cases and 3 deaths).
There are 452 coronavirus positive cases in Uttar Pradesh, including 45 cured and discharged and 5 deaths.
The states which have crossed 200-mark for COVID-19 positive cases also include Madhya Pradesh (564), Telangana (504), Gujarat (432), Andhra Pradesh (381) and Kerala (364). (ANI)
Seven suspects, donning the robes of Nihangs, have been arrested from a Gurdwara in Balbera village in connection with an alleged attack on a policeman and others here at a vegetable market in Patiala on Sunday morning.
“Seven fugitives, donning the robes of Nihangs, have been arrested from Gurdwara in village Balbera. One of the suspects was injured in police firing and has been rushed to the hospital. The operation was supervised by IG Patiala Zone, Jatinder Singh Aulakh,” KBS Sidhu, Punjab Special Chief Secretary said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Patiala MP and wife of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Preneet Kaur, called the incident highly condemnable and said that an attempt to murder case has been lodged and strictest action is being taken against the accused.
“I have spoken to doctors at PGI and surgery of ASI Harjeet Singh has already started. Police have registered attempt to murder case against the accused. This behavior is highly condemnable and the strictest action is being taken,” she tweeted.
A policeman’s hand was chopped off and few others were injured when a group of Nihangs (an armed order of the Sikh community) allegedly attacked them at a vegetable market in Punjab’s Patiala district on Sunday, police said.The incident took place when restrictions are in place in the state due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
According to Dinkar Gupta, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI) Harjeet Singh’s hand got cut off in the incident and he was immediately rushed to the PGI Chandigarh for surgery.Gupta spoke to PGI’s Director who has deputed top plastic surgeons of PGI for the police officer’s surgery, which has begun.
The DGP said that the Nihang group will be arrested and action will be initiated against them soon.
(ANI)
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