Soldiers at TN quarantine centre allege police threats for demanding proper facilities

(IANS) Soldiers and other security personnel, who had come home on leave and were quarantined, have complained of threats of being sent back or booked by police and bad treatment when they sought better basic facilities at the college hostel where they were isolated in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district.

In a video circulating on the social media, a person said the soldiers posted in Jammu, and Rajasthan have been quarantined in the old hostel of a college that lacks drinking water and toilet facilities.

He said when the issue was taken to the officials, they callously replied to "like it or lump it".

A woman with her 15-month-old baby was also at the same quarantine centre and she too does not have access to any basic facilities.

A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper who has come for holiday from Jammu said they are not allowed to go out and get some milk for the baby.

In the video, he said that a tahsildar (revenue official) came to the centre and said either they stay here or go back.

He also said a police sub-inspector threatened them that an FIR will be lodged against them for spreading coronavirus.

The trooper said the policeman and the government official did not give them any respect and addressed them roughly.

"At the border, we work without sleep and food. When we come on a month's holiday, we are being treated like a dog," he complained.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan on Monday visited the quarantine centre and met the security personnel housed there.

In a statement, Radhakrishnan said he was told by them that some facilities have been provided to them by the government.

He assured his and his party's help if the state government was not able to provide them facilities.