Howrah, April 28: People attacked police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) on Monday when they went to enforce coronavirus lockdown in Red Zone area of West Bengal’s Howrah City. According to reports, the incident took place in the evening when a police patrol reached Tikiapara area after receiving inputs that a large number of people were jostling in a local market, violating the lockdown and social distancing norms. They pelted stones at the police. Mamata Banerjee Blinks, West Bengal Allows Central Team to Visit Coronavirus-Hit Areas in Kolkata.

Cops were dispersing the crowd when they were attacked. Two police personnel were injured in the attack. The injured police personnel were taken to a local hospital. Howrah is a COVID-19 hotspot and public gathering is barred in the area. In Howrah, over 80 people have contracted COVID-19 so far. Catch Live Updates of Coronavirus Here:

Videos of the Incident:

"As soon as the police asked them to return home, a mob pelted them with stones and beat them up. Two police vehicles were also damaged in the incident," a police official said. Trinamool Congress leader of Howrah district and Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee criticised the attack on policemen and said strict action would be taken against the culprits.

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Last week also, police personnel were attacked by people after cops objected to the road being blocked by the locals in in Baduria area of North 24 Parganas district. The locals alleged improper distribution of ration material amid coronavirus lockdown.

The number of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal increased to 697. Twenty people also lost their lives in the state due to the deadly virus. Meanwhile, in India, the number of COVID-19 cases reached 29,974 on Tuesday. The death toll also jumped to 934.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2020 07:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).