Harsher lockdown kicks in after Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao’s snub

HYDERABAD: Taking chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s snub seriously, Telangana police went on an overdrive during lockdown enforcement on Saturday. The men in khaki did not even spare medical, electricity staff, both exempted from lockdown curbs, and seized vehicles of food delivery executives, people heading for vaccination shots and those supplying oxygen concentrators.
However, police brass claimed they are going after people “misuing lockdown exemptions”. Till last reports came in, police of the three city commissionerates had seized 8,359 vehicles for lockdown violations and registered over 9,000 cases. People delivering food to senior citizens, oxygen concentrators or heading for blood donation were slapped challans of ₹1,000 under Disaster Management Act.

After the chief minister’s remarks during a video conference with senior bureaucrats and police brass on Friday about lockdown not being enforced properly, policemen stopped, caned workers of even essential services and seized hundreds of vehicles on Saturday. The CM’s snub had a profound effect that even director-general of police (DGP) M Mahendar Reddy personally supervised the lockdown enforcement at various places in the city and gave instructions to commissioners.
Though Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar had warned law violators on Friday night itself about strict implementation of lockdown, no one expected police to seize vehicles of food delivery executives. At several places, executives of Swiggy and Zomato were caned when they tried to reason with policemen. In one video, which went viral on social media, a youngster wearing a Zomato Tshirt was caned right in front of Cyberabad police chief VC Sajjanar.
“Police have stopped us even after we explained to them that we are going to donate blood for Thalessemia patients. They took away my bike key and broke the key chain when we showed them the blood donor card and ID card. They hurled abuses at us and said that they would have thrashed us if there were no CCTV cameras in the area....,” K Balaraju, a donor who was stopped near Langar Houz, said.
Medical and health department officials complained to police about their staff being stopped for over an hour despite explaining that they were going for work at Habsiguda and another place in the Old City. However, the Hyderabad police chief said, “There is no question of stopping anyone or anything related to medical and health departments. We are alert and sensitive on this important issue.”
At Mehdipatnam, scores of two-wheelers belonging to food delivery executives were seized between 10 am and 2pm. “We observed that some people have been misusing the exemption given to food delivery executives during lockdown. Using old ID cards and wearing T-shirts of food delivery companies, some people were roaming on the streets. Vehicles of such people were seized and cases were booked. We have allowed genuine employees of food delivery companies to travel after verifying their credentials,” Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar told TOI.
“Traffic flow is like a normal day on SP Road. People are coming out with old medical records or lame excuses — attend a marriage, death ceremony or purchase medicines. Some people claim they are returning home from work. We are screening vehicles of potential lockdown violators at HPS, Begumpet, to prevent traffic jam on the main road. Over 500 vehicles have been seized and kept at HPS parking lot,” a Begumpet police station officer said.
Earlier in the day, talking to the media, the DGP said: “Ëntry and exit points of all major towns and cities will be closed during lockdown period for normal traffic. Similarly, to control the movement of goods vehicles during lockdown period, traffic police have issued advisory permitting loading and unloading activities only between 9 pm and 8 am.”
“All vehicles without permission will be seized and vehicles seized for lockdown rules violation will only be released after the end of lockdown. Shop owners should not allow customers after 9:30am and shut their businesses by 10am. Company managements should try and plan their employee work hours in accordance with lockdown timings,” the DGP added.
Rachakonda CP Mahesh Bhagwat said that from Sunday onwards, employees going for work should travel between home to work and vice versa between 6am and 9am and 8pm and 10pm. “If any employee travels between 10am and 8pm except those who are exempted, their vehicles will be seized and cases will be booked,” Bhagwat added.