Goondas Act slapped against 14 arrested for violent protest against burial of COVID-19 doctor victim

Chennai, May 1 () The stringent Goondas Act has beeninvoked against 14 people, including a woman, arrested hererecently for allegedly attacking health workers whileprotesting the burial of a doctor who died of COVID-19, thecity police said on Friday.

They were detained under the act as part of crimeprevention activities, police said in a release.

"The 14 people have repeatedly involved in crimeactivities," and therefore detained under the Goondas Actfollowing Commissioner of Police A K Viswanathan's order, itadded.

They were earlier booked for assaulting the ambulancedriver and damaging the vehicle when the neurosurgeon's bodywas taken for burial in a city area last month.

Police had arrested nearly 20 people in connection withthe incident, that drew widespread condemnation and promptedthe government to promulgate an ordinance makingsuch acts a punishable offence. The mob, protesting the interment in their locality,attacked the undertakers using bricks, stones, bottles andsticks and chased them away. An orthopaedic surgeon had to bury the body in the middleof the night using his bare hands and a shovel at anothercrematorium with the help of just two hospital ward boysfollowing the violent protest. Police have earlier warned of stringent action againstthose blocking the burial or cremation of victims of COVID-19. The Tamil Nadu government promulgated the ordinance,making it a punishable offence, preventing or attempting toblock the burial or cremation of those who died of the deadlycontagion. Such an offence would carry a jail term ranging fromone to three years, besides a fine, it had said. In an earlier instance, the remains of a doctor whosuccumbed to coronavirus had to be buried elsewhere followingprotests by locals. In both cases, the locals feared the spread of thepandemic in the locality if the bodies were buried in therespective areas. SAVS VS