Coronavirus: Water and biscuits tossed from outside shut gates of a quarantine centre in India, Twitter videos go viral
India: Agra was earlier hailed by Indian central government for containment of COVID-19
Two shocking videos from a quarantine facility in India’s popular tourist city of Agra, in Uttar Pradesh, are going viral in India. The videos that were first shared on April 26 on Twitter, show people inside the locked gates of the facility, crowding and scrambling at the gate to receive essential supplies like food and water.
In one of the videos, a man in protective gear can be seen tossing biscuit packets close to the gate of the centre as people from the other side stretch their hands to try and catch them.
Another clip also shows water bottles kept outside the gates as hands reach out from behind the grills.
The videos were reportedly shot at Agra's Hindustan College, a part of the Sharda Group of Institutions, which has been turned into a quarantine centre by the state administration.
In one of the videos, a woman is heard saying: "This is what is being done to isolated people. We were told we will have medical check-up done at some point, but this has not happened. There are no proper arrangements for food and water. Everyone is being negligent."
Twitter users criticised the lawmakers of the state and the central government, questioning the “inhumane” treatment of those who are inside the facility.
Tweep @teeshagupta07 posted: “They are in terrible state. What kind of quarantine is this?”
Another Twitter user, @ThisIsAmmuu, pointed out that this was probably the reason there were reports of people escaping quarantine: “This is disgusting. They have to be treated with at least basic dignity. If conditions are like this no wonder people are escaping quarantine.”
Many tweeps tagged Twitter accounts of the police department and ministers in the state to draw their attention to the situation.
India’s central government had earlier hailed the “Agra model” for their methods of containing coronavirus cases and directed other states to follow it. The new videos left many people questioning the administration under the state’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
According to reports on Indian news websites, after the videos were shared widely, district magistrate Prabhu Narayan Singh said he had gone to inspect the centre and “all arrangements have been taken care of now”.
Latest reports confirm that India recorded 1,975 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 26,917.