MAWKYRWAT: Paranoia over COVID-19 can turn bizarre at times. As it happened in a remote village in South West Khasi District recently.
After the return of a woman following a medical check-up at Shillong, local pandemic management body compelled the entire seven-member family to spend nine days in quarantine in a desolate forest in Manad village, near here.
According to a delayed report received here on Thursday, the family including a four-month-old baby was forced to leave their dwelling village to quarantine themselves in the jungle after the eldest daughter returned from Shillong.
The incident took place on August 7 last, at the remote village under Mawkyrwat C&RD Block in which the family of one Borming Nongbsaw was allegedly forced by the Community COVID-19 Management Committee to leave their home and quarantine themselves in the nearby jungle for nine days allegedly without any basic amenities.
General Secretary of the KSU San Shnong Area Unit, Mansaljune K. Hari informed newsmen that after getting information about the incident, the Union investigated into the matter and found that it the incident was true. He said the members of the COVID-19 Committee went to the house of one Borming Nongbsaw on the night of August 6 and told the family that they would have to quarantine themselves in the jungle because the village had decided not to allow anyone who returned from Shillong to stay in the village.
Hari said that in the next morning the entire family left their village and took shelter in the jungle. After spending nine agonising days of forced stay in the jungle, the family came back home. “The worse thing is that during those nine days, no one from the COVID-19 Committee went to visit the harassed family in the jungle let alone provide them food. It was however unclear how the family sustained itself under the open sky and in the absence of food supply.
The Myntri of Manad village, BH Lyngdoh initially denied that the Shnong forced the family to quarantine in the jungle but later conceded that “some of our people said that since their works are in the jungle, it is better for them to stay in the jungle”.
The KSU San Shnong Area Unit condemned the inhuman incident and demanded of the District Administration to setup an Inquiry to investigate into the matter since it is gross violation of human rights.
KSU is now contemplating to lodge a complaint to the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission.