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Barricades mounted by volunteers in a colony in Dimapur on the first day of the 21-day lockdown on March 25. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur| March 29
With the concern to keep everyone safe and ensure that the lockdown directives are being followed, the youth bodies in different parts of the state were deployed soon after the 21-day lockdown was announced. The move, while voluntary for some, was necessitated by the district administration who entrusted the village councils and youth bodies to assist the police and security personnel during the lockdown.
This well intended move has garnered a lot of public ire. Several incidents of volunteers resorting to policing and vigilantism have been reported. One person took to Facebook to report an incident involving his cousin who is a doctor. On his way to work, the doctor was reportedly stopped by masked volunteers who did not heed his ‘doctor on duty’ sign and an argument ensued between them. One person also reported witnessing a group of volunteers around Dimapur town heckling a man with some luggage.
Apart from the reported ones, many other incidents might have also gone unreported. But social media is filled with people voicing against the youths being on the roads at a time when everyone is advised to stay home.
The Morung Express reached out to some people and gathered opinions from different social media platforms. Here is what they had to say:
Are volunteers immune to COVID-19?
“There are no social distancing measures at all!” a WhatsApp user wrote, adding that the volunteers are seen in groups happily chatting and some even taking photos.
Another one said the volunteers in one area in Dimapur were seen playing cards in a large group, while in another place, the youth were gathered around a carrom board while keeping a ‘check’ on maintaining social distancing.
“Some Youth Volunteers, 6, 7 of them sitting together in the corner and shouting ‘twijun twijun naabirabi’ (Don’t walk in twos)”, wrote one Facebook user in amusement.
Others were not very kind with their comments on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“Most of them are guards with orders without knowing what it is for,” said one user, calling for a ‘coaching class’ for the volunteers first.
“Are these self styled colony and village volunteers immune to COVID-19?” asked one annoyed Facebook user in his post. These volunteers gathering in groups without any personal protective gears coming into contact with all the passersby will be ones spreading the virus to their families, he added.
Unwanted heroes?
Many people voiced their concern about the volunteers being out on the streets at a time when social isolation is of key importance.
Some were of the opinion that volunteers are not needed and in fact, adding to the problem.
“No one asked for your help. If you want to help, just stay inside your houses,” wrote one Facebook user. “They should be educated properly by the councils before being entrusted with such jobs. Their approach is insane,” wrote another Facebook user.
“According to me, the Government should immediately order all council volunteers to stop taking law and order into their own hands...The volunteers are the ones doing time pass on the roads,” one user wrote.
“If you want to volunteer for anything, volunteer to stay at home!” said one Facebook user, while another one did not mince words. “Colony heroes. Unauthorized heroes,” he wrote.
Social media is ripe with arguments against the deployment of youth volunteers, but there are also some who recognise their contribution and called for proper guidelines for them to follow and help in effective enforcement of the lockdown.
Despite repeated appeals to stay indoors, some sections of the public are still found loitering and because the police cannot be in every nook and corner, volunteers are needed, argued one user.
The volunteers should be properly oriented before sending them out on the streets. This looks like a self styled vigilante, said another person.
Another user said volunteers are to help, guide and assist people and not to harass them and called for them to be properly educated before they come out on the streets.
‘Call of duty’
“We understand the lockdown applies to everyone and we should all be practicing social distancing. But we were entrusted by the village council to assist in enforcing the lockdown, so with as much preventive measures as we can, we are responding to the call of duty,” Diphupar Naga Youth Organisation President Kikheto Sumi told The Morung Express on Saturday.
While the youths are doing their bit to assist the village council, police and security personnel, they also face issues dealing with the public, some of who refuse to understand the gravity of the situation and think of them as being unreasonable, he said.
Taking note of the stray incidents of confrontations between volunteers and public, he also said that their youths are being constantly educated on how to deal with the public, besides safety, hygiene and social distancing measures. The volunteers man the entry and exit points in groups of not more than 2-3 persons at a time, and have been provided with hand gloves, masks and sanitizers, he said.
Say what you may about them, volunteers have been deployed as per the district administration and village council directives. Along with educating those on lockdown watch, perhaps the public sharing the responsibility by staying indoors as much as possible during the lockdown would go a long way in effectively tackling the pandemic.
It may be noted here that Deputy Commissioner in some districts has cautioned against obstructing movement of paramedical staff on duty, exempted government officials and vehicles carrying essential commodities.
