Coronavirus: Locals Throw Stones At Cops Over Movement Restriction In Quarantined Area In Gujarat's Surat

At least 15 people were detained after they allegedly created ruckus and pelted stones at police over the issue of movement restrictions in a COVID-19 cluster quarantined area of Gujarat's Surat district, an official said on Thursday.

Some areas of Paligam locality near Sachin industrial area in Surat were cluster quarantined and sealed after a resident tested positive for coronavirus a few days back, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vidhi Chaudhari said.

Though residents were asked to stay inside the barricaded area, many did not listen and started moving in and out of the sealed area on Wednesday night, she said.

"When police asked the residents to follow quarantine rules, they started arguing with the security personnel. Later, two groups of residents engaged in a heated debate over some issue and started throwing stones at each other. When police teams went there, they started throwing stones on the police personnel also," Ms Chaudhari said.

A video of the incident later surfaced in which policemen were purportedly seen trying to save themselves from stones being thrown from terraces in the area.

Ms Chaudhari said while no policeman was injured in the stone-pelting, nearly 15 people from the area were detained late night.

The situation in the area was under control, she added.