New Delhi, April 2 The Madhya Pradesh government will take stern action against those who attacked the doctors and paramedic team in Indore on Wednesday and the accused will be booked under the National Security Act (NSA), Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday.
In a video message, the Chief Minister said, "Such people are not humans, they are enemies of humanity. The doctors and paramedic staff have put their lives at risk and are trying to save the lives of others. An attack on them will not be tolerated and stringent action will be taken against them. We will book the accused under the NSA."
His remarks came a day after a health department team on a visit to locate persons reportedly infected with novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Indore's Tat Patti Bakhal area was pelted with stones.
The medical team comprised five persons, including three doctors. A video of the incident showing stone pelting and how the medical team left in a rush to save themselves went viral on social media, sparking outrage.
"The moment we started enquiring about a particular person's health, people began protesting and were joined by others who resorted to stone pelting. Policemen standing nearby had to come to our rescue," a lady doctor said.
Earlier in the day, Chouhan said in a tweet, "This is not just a tweet. This is a stern warning... Human rights are only for humans."
This is a rare outburst on the part of Chauhan, who is known for his mild demeanour. In what appears to be a clear message to the culprits involved in stone pelting, Chauhan suggested that human right rules won't come in the way of taking action against them.
Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Pravin Jadia said: "Our team is working round the clock to protect people from coronavirus. But people threw stones at them. It was an unfortunate incident."
"Two women doctors somehow protected themselves by hiding in the tehsildar's vehicle," added Jadia.
A complaint regarding the incident was filed at the Chhatripura police station. A police officer said that during the incident, the protesters also broke a barricade. A case of rioting will be pursued against them, he said.
And now with the CM taking an unusually strong stand on the issue and promising 'stern' action, the matter has assumed even more significance.
( With inputs from IANS )