Coronavirus lockdown: E-commerce agents complain of police harassment during delivery
According to reports, a Zomato delivery boy was beaten up mercilessly by cops for delivering food. Across India, there have been reports of groceries, medicine and food delivery agents being abused and assaulted by policemen.
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FollowNew Delhi: As PM Narendra Modi announced nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, people were left stranded and confused over essential services. Many thronged supermarkets and grocery stores amidst panic buying.Â
To keep people in house quarantine, online food delivery service was still open. However, this proved costly for them.
E-commerce companies delivering essentials like groceries, medicines and food are facing attacks and harassment from law enforcement officials and security guards, leading to severe inconvenience in times of an unprecedented crisis, online retailers have said, calling for an urgent intervention from the government.
According to reports, a zomato delivery boy was beaten up mercilessly by cops for delivering food.
The news was shared on Twitter by user name Samidha Sharma with the caption, "And these are some pictures of brutality across cities like Mumbai and Delhi today. Delivery folks who were trying to deliver food and medicines.. clearly they don’t understand on ground what are essential services."
The statement was echoed by online grocery retailer Grofers and meat delivery platform FreshToHome, which said they were facing obstructions in delivering from local authorities who were enforcing the coronavirus lockdown indiscriminately.
Amid increasing reports of such incidents, the central government at a news conference said it was taking steps to ensure smooth delivery of basic necessities.
Though PM Modi has assured that there will be no shortage of essential goods, the targeting of delivery executives has jeopardised that assurance.
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