Anantnag: A family in Pampore that was put under administrative quarantine, allegedly “forcefully”, after a family member tested positive for Covid-19, has blamed the Pampore civil administration for the robbery that took place at their unguarded house.
The family is claiming that cash and jewellery worth lakhs has been stolen from their house, while they continue to be in administrative quarantine.
Recently, the Pampore civil administration asked all chemists of the town to get tested for Covid-19. The owner of a medical store in Frestbal area of the town tested positive for the disease on June 22.
Within hours, men from the district administration and health department, “led by Tehsildar Pampore, Ishtiyaq Mohiuddin,” the family said, reached chemist’s house in Khankah Bagh area of the town and insisted that everyone among them had to be put under administrative quarantine.
“We begged them to allow us to isolate ourselves at home, for we had valuables and livestock here which needed to be guarded and taken care of,” the chemist’s brother, Zahoor Ahmad, told Kashmir Reader.
He said that the Tehsildar, instead, threatened to file an FIR against the family.
“He said we will all be booked if we did not comply. To our pleas that our house could be robbed and our cattle might die, he assured that the house will be guarded,” Zahoor said.
While Zahoor and his brother’s families are still in quarantine, their third brother, Javed Ahmad Bhat, was called from the house of his in-laws by the district administration.
“He had been living with his in-laws for more than 2 months with his pregnant wife. He had no physical contact with us. He was called, regardless, and then he was allowed by the administration to stay at our home along with his family,” Zahoor said.
When Javed reached the house in Khankah Bagh, however, he found the house ransacked and valuables taken away by the robbers.
“I am still in the quarantine. My brother, Javed, has told me over phone that all cash (amounting to more than 20 lakh rupees) and jewellery has been stolen,” Zahoor said, lamenting that the district administration did nothing to protect their house after putting every family member under quarantine.
The family held the Tehsildar responsible for their loss and also said that he was harsh and unreasonable with them.
“He should have allowed at least one of us to stay home, but he did not,” Zahoor said.
Kashmir Reader talked to Tehsildar Ishtiyaq Mohiuddin, who said that the family should be thankful that he did not file an FIR against them for refusing to be picked up for quarantine.
“There is no SOP to allow anybody to stay at home,” Mohiuddin said, adding that out of their 15 family members only 9 were quarantined. “The rest of them had fled before we reached there,” he said.
Besides, the Tehsildar said, the family had 4 hours for packing and they should have packed their cash and jewellery.

Suhail A Shah