Efforts by the administration to rebuild trust with the residents in Padarayanapura ward have become more difficult after the mob violence on April 19. Civic officials acknowledged the challenge and underscored the urgency to improve awareness and communication given that there have been 19 positive cases so far, the highest concentration of cases in any ward in the city.
The task of bridging the communication gap has become all the more difficult in the backdrop of the recent violence acquiring a communal narrative on social media and a section of the mainstream media, say activists.
“They are attributing communal motives to medical decisions being taken by the administration to fight COVID-19, which triggered the protests and violence recently, and continues to be the biggest roadblock to bridge the gap,” said a senior civic official.
Multiple residents that The Hindu spoke to questioned why only Padarayanapura and Bapuji Nagar wards, with a large Muslim population, were sealed on April 10 even though the civic body had declared nearly 30 wards as hotspots at that time. They refused to accept the argument that these are densely populated areas where social isolation is tough and cases here have been spreading at a faster rate.
Police arrests in connection with the recent violence seems to have created further fissures. “Police have been indiscriminate and have arrested several innocent youths in the last two days. There has also been caning in the area on anybody seen on the street. Despite being an advocate, I feel helpless,” said Saddam Baig, a resident of the area.
Activists issue statement
A statement issued by a coalition of 83 activists and organisations on Tuesday, while condemning the rumours and fake messages that have been spreading on social media and some local television channels, drew attention to the living conditions of people in the ward, which is marked by non-provision of adequate food and milk during the lockdown.
Councillor Imran Pasha said he had placed a request for universal supply of ration kits and milk every day. “There are 12,000 households in the ward. Eleven days after the ward was sealed down, BBMP has distributed only 3,500 ration kits and is supplying only 3,000 litres of milk every day. This has left many hungry. I have personally pitched in as have many NGOs, but many have fallen through the cracks. This has only added to the anger of the residents against the sealing,” he said adding the supply of essential medicines had also turned precarious. A senior civic official said BBMP has now decided to supply more ration kits and will do so over the next few days.
“Lack of information on why these two wards were sealed down, the anti-Muslim sentiment seen in the country after the Tabligi Jamaat event and the lack of essential supplies had created a volatile situation in these two wards,” said the activists in the statement.
Police and activists in the area say one of the fault lines that has emerged in the area is the management of drug addicts and alcoholics who are suffering from withdrawal symptoms making them desperate to get out. “The area has many people who earn a living doing hard physical labour and habituated to marijuana. Even at rehabilitation centres, they do not stop the intake of drugs at once. There is a need for a drug and alcoholic rehab centre and counselling in the area,” said Mr. Baig.
One of those who allegedly led the violent protest and was arrested is a known marijuana dealer.
“For now, the first priority is to win back the trust of the community to ensure their participation in the fight against COVID-19, for which removing communal narratives from the issue is the need of the hour,” said a senior civic official.