ASHA workers 'manhandled' during COVID-19 survey in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Apr 7 () In another incident of healthstaff involved in coronavirus containment facing trouble, twoASHA workers were allegedly manhandled at Kudachi in Belagavidistrict in Karnataka on Tuesday while undertaking a surveyfollowing detection of four COVID-19 cases with Tablighi linksin the area, police said.

The district authorities have intensified door-to-doorsurvey in Kudachi after four people who had attended theTablighi jamat religious conference in New Delhi last monthtested positive for coronavirus in nearby Raibagh. "Today when two ASHA workers went to Kudachi, somemiscreants snatched away their phones. We are investigatingwhether they were beaten up also," a police officerinvestigating the matter told .

A few days ago, four ASHA workers here were manhandledwhen they went for a door-to-door survey and police havearrested five people from a minority community. They have beenremanded to judicial custody by a court. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda had on Mondaycondemned incidents of attacks on doctors and healthdepartment workers and sought protection for them. GMSVS VS