Six persons were injured due to stone pelting following a dispute regarding the opening of the path at the cantonment gate at Toda Kalyanpur in Roorkee.
People from Toda Kalyanpur, Nanda Colony and other areas enter the city through cantonment area. In the past this route was closed to the villagers on many occasions and reopened after mediation by administrative officials. The road was closed again during the lockdown. The villagers gathered on Thursday demoing the reopening of the road. There was an argument between the villagers and army personnel. The situation escalated to stone pelting which injured six villagers. Superintendent of Police (Rural) Swapan Kishore Singh informed that this is an old issue. The villagers have alleged that some days ago the army personnel did not allow an ambulance to pass during a medical emergency due to which the villagers had to carry an ex-serviceman patient on a cot for two kilometers to the ambulance. Regarding this, the army told the police that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the army can’t take the risk of its unit being infected. The army officials told the police that they will support in medical emergency and after lockdown the timings for villagers to use the road will be decided. Singh said that a case of lockdown violation will be lodged.