KOCHI: Expressing concern over the attack on a health worker who was returning home after COVID duty in Alappuzha district, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that the police need to ensure safety of COVID warriors.
The court observed that it was pained by the incident. Considering the service rendered by COVID warriors, society owes a duty to ensure that they are protected and kept away from harm. They should be protected from unscrupulous elements who seem to be lurking in the dark waiting for their chance to pounce on the prey. Obviously, the police need to pull up their socks and ensure that the lives of all such warriors are sufficiently protected. This was not an isolated incident, said the court.
"There are such women on the road returning back from duty. If there are anti-social elements regularly tracking their time and movements, then it causes us grave concern. The police should keep vigil to avoid such incidents," the court observed.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath made the observation in the context of a nursing assistant being attacked at Thrikkunnapuzha in Alappuzha district while returning home. "Of course it's a law and order issue. But in the context of the attack suffered by a COVID warrior, we are certain that it finds a place for all considerations in these proceedings also," said the court.
Senior Government Pleader S Kannan handed over the FIR registered by the police to the court. "It is a quite unfortunate incident. This is an isolated incident, without lowering the seriousness of the issue," he submitted.