3 September 2021 08:42 am Views - 110
say they acted to protect health authorities
By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya
Responding to a video being circulated on social media in which a police officer is seen using his baton on the Weligama residents during a vaccination programme on Wednesday, the police said they had to resort to that action to disperse the residents in order to save the health authorities from being attacked.
It was reported on social media that among a group of police officers, the Weligama Police HQI was baton-charging the residents of Weligama.
The Weligama Police said that they had to disperse the people from the vaccination centre at Arafa Central College to protect the health authorities following a tense situation that arose during the vaccination drive.
The Police claimed that the doctors and the nurses at the center could have come under attack due to the situation if they had not acted immediately.
Meanwhile, a PHI in the area said that authorities had been scheduled to give the second dose of the vaccines at the center. However, they had provided the people with the first dose with the remaining stock. A large number of people had then rushed to the center to obtain the vaccines. A tense situation arose as some of the people had to go without being vaccinated, the PHI claimed.
However, the police said none of the residents were assaulted in an inhuman or brutal manner.