Karnataka MLC and Son Booked for Assaulting Healthcare Workers for Coronavirus Testing

Bengaluru: Opposition Janata Dal-Secular lawmaker KT Srikante Gowda and his son were booked on charge of assaulting healthcare workers in Karnataka's Mandya during coronavirus testing of districts journalists, police said on Saturday.

"A first information report was filed against JD-S Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Gowda and his son Krishik for abusing and attacking doctors and ASHA workers, conducting Covid tests on district scribes," Mandya Superintendent of Police K Parushuram told IANS on phone.

Mandya is about 100km southwest of Bengaluru on the way to Mysuru in the southern state. 

Gowda questioned the tests directed at Ambedkar Bhavan, which is close to his living arrangement, as he dreaded the region would be contaminated should any writer test positive. 

"The locale organization didn't take preventive measures before doing the tests in our general vicinity. According to the standard working system or conventions, the state wellbeing division should initially clean or purify the region to forestall the infection spread," Gowda told journalists in Kannada at Mandya. 

On a



grumbling by the crown warriors and copyists for purportedly disturbing the testing, Krishik was kept and whisked away to the region police headquarters to defuse the circumstance.

"We are investigation and will invoke the new law that stipulates arrest, Rs 50,000 fine and 3-year jail under the Karnataka Epidemics Ordinance, 2020, enacted on April 23, if the accused are found guilty," asserted Parushuram.

Gowda's enraged supporters also demanded that the health officials take away the mobile testing kiosk, parked near the Bhavan, to avoid the area getting contaminated.

"I opposed the testing in our area after residents complained to me and wanted the mobile kiosk to be shifted to a government hospital," asserted Gowda.

On the directive of Chief Minister BS Yediyuappa, the Information Department has advised all mediapersons across the southern state to take Covid test to ensure they are free from the virus, as they are in the field covering the corona outbreak.

Mandya Deputy Commissioner MV Venkatesh said further action would be initiated against the accused on getting the police report and in case epidemic law was violated.