Man killed, 5 injured as Covid-19 rumors sparks violence in Gumla

K A Gupta | TNN | Updated: Apr 9, 2020, 13:39 IST

Image used for Representative purposes

GUMLA: One person died and five others sustained injuries in clashes as rumour-mongering led to violence in Sisai Basti in Gumla on Tuesday night. The district administration on Wednesday closed all shops, including those selling essential items, across 12 blocks of the district for 24 hours to contain the violence.
Sources in the police said clashes erupted around 5pm on Tuesday when some locals thrashed Anis Ansari, a resident of Basia Road, for loitering around a pond. Police said the locals believed that a few outsiders are moving around the locality to spread the virus. Ansari was immediately taken to Rims by the police and his condition is out of danger.
Around 8pm, another group armed with sticks and torches took to the streets in protest against the attack on Ansari. The group spotted a few tribals and attacked them. Bolwa Oraon (47), a resident of Sisai Basti, died on the way to hospital, while Somra Oraon (45), Jatru Oraon (53), Vivek Oraon (26) and Bhuneshwar Oraon (38) sustained injuries.
Senior police officers, including DIG (Ranchi range) A V Homkar and Gumla SP Anjani Kumar Singh reached Sisai and camped there through the night. Jharkhand Police spokesperson-cum-IG (Operation) Saket Kumar Singh on Wednesday said additional forces have been deployed and the area is tense, but under control.
IG Naveen Kumar Singh, who visited the village on Tuesday, said: “The incident was sparked by rumor-mongering among locals. A few persons have been arrested for spreading rumours while cases have been lodged against others. The situation is under control now.”
While Jharkhand has reported four Covid-19 cases and no deaths so far, four people, including Oraon, have died, over rumours and violence over the spread of the virus in the last week. A man in Jamshedpur was pushed from the third floor after he dumped some garbage near his residence, while a lockdown violator drowned in a lake while trying to run from the police. In Palamu , a man was killed by a group he confronted for violating the lockdown.