A team of medical personnel and police traveling in an ambulance was pelted with stones when they had gone to escort family members of a person who died of COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad.
The ambulance was taking the family members to the quarantine facility.
"When our team boarded the ambulance a crowd suddenly emerged and started pelting stones. Some doctors are still there. We are injured," said the ambulance driver.
Sharing details regarding the incident, SSP Amit Pathak told news agency ANI, "A COVID-19 positive patient had passed away in Nagphani area. In this regard, the patient's first contact, his family members, were to be quarantined. A medical team and police team had visited here for the same."
He added, "When the family members came out, a crowd pelted stones. The ambulance and police vehicle got damaged. We are sending the family members to the quarantine centre. The situation is under control now. We will identify the people involved in this incident and strict action will be taken against them."
The SSP said that some members of the medical team have received injuries.
"This is a violation of Section 144 and Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act. Action will be taken under the National Security Act also," Pathak said.
Tatpal Singh, a pharmacist who was present at the site of the incident said: "We received orders to shift family members of a person who died due to coronavirus to another place. Four police personnel also went there along with us.
"The family members were ready to come with us. But locals arrived and refused to let the family members go. Later, they got into a verbal fight with the police and started pelting stones."
As the coronavirus stigma grows, in the national capital, two women resident doctors of Safdarjung Hospital were assaulted by a man for 'spreading' the virus.?
Last month in Indore, a group of health workers who had gone for coronavirus testing were attacked.