KARACHI: A breakdown of law and order occurred at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Thursday when a man suspected for Covid-19 died and his family and relatives demanded his body without fulfilling ‘due procedure’ and turned violent when asked to follow the procedures and protocols, officials and sources said.

They said Abdul Salam from Garden was referred to the JPMC with all symptoms and clinical picture of coronavirus infection.

He died while being treated at the health facility and the hospital under the defined protocols decided to conduct his test for Covid-19.

“The test procedure took a few hours and in this case the family of the deceased person is asked to cooperate with the hospital,” said an official at the Saddar police station.

“The family members of the deceased persons with their relatives and neighbors arrived at the hospital and demanded to hand over the body immediately. They were asked to wait and follow the due protocols, which were devised for the infected persons and their bodies. However, they lost patience and attacked the Ward 23 on the ground floor.”

The official said that the angry mob damaged the furniture, doors and windowpanes of the ward pushing the hospital management to call the police. The police intervened and picked up some 10 people from the scene.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2020