Coronavirus Lockdown: E commerce companies delivering essentials face police brutality across India

The Coronavirus pandemic has created an outrage among all the citizens. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a complete lockdown for 21 days in India. He has urged people to stay indoors and observe social distancing. He also said that the citizens should not panic as essential items such as groceries, medicines, food, etc will be available. While the police across the country are lashing people who are roaming on the streets with no purpose, e-commerce companies delivering essentials like groceries, medicines, and food are facing harassments from the law enforcement officers. 

K Ganesh, promoter of online platforms like BigBasket, FreshMenu and Portea Medical has said that policemen have abused and assaulted and infact even arrested a delivery agent which has caused a huge disruption in their activities. Ganesh told NDTV, "Even though the government has done absolutely the right step and has been categorical in exempting essential services and have specified essential services like online delivery of goods, groceries, food, medicines and medical equipment, that message has not gone to the people down the line."

ALSO READ: Coronavirus Lockdown: Despite PM's confirmation on availability of essentials, e com sites are not operational

He further added, "The cop there does not that it's an essential service, he has no mechanism to allow and disallow somebody. In many cases, they are being harsh, they are beating up people. In Kerala, one of our health workers going to service a patient was arrested. People are risking their lives, please don't beat them up. Challan them. If people run away because their colleagues are beaten up, we cannot do anything. Don't beat up people trying to deliver goods and services."

Our delivery executives are selflessly putting their safety at risk to ensure people stay indoors and get all their essentials at home. And then they get stopped and harassed by police and local goons. Who are we really clapping for at 5pm today?

Despite assurances that grocery is an essential service and @grofers should continue to operate, police and local authorities continue to shut warehouses. All the proactive initiatives of govt and central authorities is going to waste because of overzealous enforcement agencies.

Home Delivery Associates are doing the job of Rashtra Rakshaks, serving a noble cause of delivering food and grocery, but across the country, we are facing hurdles in delivering orders, request you to declare home delivery as an essential service.@PMOIndia

Due to these disruptions, many foods have been wasted. Some were forced to dump 15,000 liters of milk and 10,000 kg of vegetables and will not be able to deliver fresh milk in Gurgaon, Noida and Hyderabad even on Day 2 of the lockdown. 

Not only the grocery guys but even the restaurant delivery guys are facing trouble.  Arjun Jaiswal, a founder of Baking Bad, a pizza delivery chain in Delhi NCR, said, "In the East on Kailash area in south Delhi, a delivery boy riding bikes are being lathi-charged. In Noida, their phones were taken away while they tried to show proof. There is complete chaos."  

Karan Nambiar of Captain Grub said,  “The police has not given us any explanation on why delivery is not being allowed. The police are unaware of the rules and have violently been trashing our riders who are risking their own health at the time like this to ensure food is delivered to everyone who needs it." 

Due to the increasing number of such incidents, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said at a news conference: "We will issue e-passes to vegetable-sellers, grocers among others to ensure essential supplies during the lockdown."