A day after the police were pulled up for unnecessary brutality, they were conspicuous by their near absence from the streets on Tuesday, the second day of the total lockdown in Karnataka. No instances of police beating up or caning commuters were reported.
Even the seizure of vehicles witnessed a drastic drop from over 2,500 vehicles on day one to just 720 vehicles on Tuesday.
“During the last two weeks, lockdown was not effective. The cases went up further in the state, which made a complete lockdown necessary. People need to cooperate, which they are not, prompting us to use force. But the widespread opposition to police action has demoralised the force,” said a senior official.
Tweeting about the death of a sub-inspector in Vijayapura due to COVID-19, Praveen Sood, DG & IGP, Karnataka Police said: “She is one among 124 policemen who have lost their lives standing on the roads while requesting (read arguing) with people to remain indoors,” on Monday.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said police have been told not to resort to caning to enforce the lockdown, but to seize vehicles and book cases against all violators. “Caning has already stopped across the State,” he said on Tuesday morning. He appealed to the people to understand the seriousness of the health crisis and not venture out unnecessarily.
‘No passes’
Senior police officers were flooded with calls since morning from people inquiring about passes. “We are not issuing passes. Those who venture out should carry proof of work and ID card ,” a senior officer said.
