As the global coronavirus pandemic is worsening with every passing day, fear is swelling in across India and the medical workers including doctors and nurses are bearing the brunt of public panic.
Such an incident of social stigma has come to the fore in Tripura capital Agartala where a paramedic and his nurse wife were asked to vacate their rented house by the landlord.
Rajesh Das works at the Agartala Government Medical College Hospital and his wife is a nurse at GB Pant Hospital and both have been providing relentless service to control the spread of coronavirus.
“We have been residing at the rented house of Paresh Chandra Baidya for the last two years,” Rajesh informed the local media after he was asked to vacate the house by the landlord.
Some landlords in Agartala have been forcing the doctor and nurse tenants to vacate the house amid rumours that they are spreading coronavirus.
“As the lockdown began, the landlord has been pressurising us to vacate the house. He has even cut our power and water supply,” Das added.
“We both are medical professionals and we need to clean our clothes every day after returning from work. But as the water supply is disrupted, we are unable to do so,” he further added.
“We requested the landlord a number of times to give us the power and water connection back, but he has refused to do so,” Das further said.
This is not just the single case as similar discrimination happened with doctor Ajit Debnath and his wife Priyanka Das.
Both were stopped from entering their rented house on Thursday by their landlord and some locals.
As per reports, cases like these are being reported from various places of Tripura and the doctors’ association have even informed the Chief Minister about it.
“It has come to my knowledge that a few landlords are not cooperating with their tenant doctors and medical staff engaged in the fight against coronavirus,” CM Biplab Deb said.
“I appeal to the people of Tripura to help our medical staff in this hour of need. They are working for our safety at the risk of their lives. Strict actions will be taken as per law if anyone found involved in such activities,” he warned.
