Two DCPs posted at Singhu border test COVID positive

New Delhi/Gurugram: Two Deputy Commissioners of Police of the Delhi Police, supervising protest control at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border have now tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, once again triggering fears that the large scale protests at Delhi's borders could soon become a COVID-19 hotspot as the Capital seems to be pulling out of the third wave of the pandemic.

This comes on the 16th day of the farmers' agitation against the Centre's farm laws.

The Delhi Police have said both the officers have been placed under home isolation and that extensive contact tracing is underway. Given the nature of the senior officers' assignment over the past two weeks, they have been attending briefings at the Police headquarters, engaging with protesters and planning strategies with the CAPFs and their own personnel.

The Delhi police officers who tested positive lead their own districts and a senior police officer said that the Additional DCP, Rohini has taken charge and is managing security at the border where thousands of farmers are protesting and there is heavy deployment.

"Almost 80 personnel posted at the borders were randomly tested, who were showing symptoms, were tested and none of them was tested positive," an official said. Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) SS Yadav said that they are taking proper precautions for their personnel. "We have distributed almost 5,000 vitamin tablets, AYUSH pouches to the force. Automatic temperature checking machine, hand sanitisers are there," Yadav added. According to Delhi Police data till Thursday, as many as 7,385 COVID-19 cases were reported in the force, of which 6,803 personnel have recovered and 30 have died due to contagious disease. "552 are active cases in city police," data shows. The Delhi Police has also registered a case against unknown people for violating COVID-19 norms.

In addition to this, the Haryana government is also not testing protesters on their side of the border. Senior officials of Haryana Police stated that as of now none of their personnel posted at the border were found positive with COVID-19.

"We have advised our personnel to wear masks in these areas. We also keep them on duty for five days according to their shifts following which they are asked to be under isolation for seven days. If there are any symptomatic patients, we get them tested straightaway. As of now fortunately we do not have any officials who have been found positive with COVID-19," said a senior official from Haryana Police.

However, despite these developments, multiple sources in the Delhi government have confirmed to Millennium Post that the state government has not been testing protesters at the Singhu border since the blockade began.

"The farmers at the border are not in Delhi, they are on the Haryana side of the border therefore the Delhi Government is not under compulsion to do extensive testing there," one senior Delhi government official said. However, if someone happens to come further into the Capital they could have been tested, the official added.

This was corroborated by two other officials from the Health Department of the Delhi government. Another health official said that the Delhi government has no plans of testing in the border area in the near future.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain also addressed the lack of social distancing at the Singhu border but retorted with a question that nobody questioned when BJP supporters had attacked the Deputy CM's house On the ongoing farmer protests, he said, "The central government should comply with its demands. The farmers are our food soldiers. They have travelled kilometres together, leaving their homes, so the Central government should take immediate action."