Condition of quarantine facility ‘not good’

Srinagar: The Srinagar airport witnessed chaotic scenes after a group of Kashmiri students pursuing studies in Bangladesh returned Thursday.
Soon after the students landed, they were made to wait at the arrival section for more than two hours without specifying any reason, according to the family members of some students.
But the matter escalated after some students were “quietly escorted out” of the airport, while others were told that they would be quarantined despite all the students claiming that they have undergone fever screening through thermal imaging at Kolkata airport.
Their flight reached Srinagar via Kolkata.
The families alleged that the students, who were escorted out, were children of VIPs and were, therefore, home-quarantined, while others were sent to quarantine centres having “inadequate facilities”.
After some students were escorted out of the airport, the families of other students raised the matter and a heated argument ensued with the security forces.
The security personnel present at the spot then used lathi-charge to control the family members. A video of the commotion and pictures are now being circulated on WhatsApp.
‘Complete chaos’: More than two dozen students were escorted by local police out of the airport. The male students were taken to Haj House in Srinagar by bus and seven female students were dropped at a private hotel in the summer capital. Both groups are now under quarantine.
Tehleel Mushtaq, whose sister is pursuing MBBS in Dhaka, told ThePrint the students had requested the authorities at the airport multiple times to let them go as they had already been screened at the Kolkata airport.
“Yet they were kept together at the airport. Some students, probably children of VIPs, were escorted quietly and when the parents objected to this, they were thrashed. Later my sister and other students were escorted without informing the parents where they would be taken. Their phones were taken too but later returned to them. Some parents followed the police vehicle in which the students were being taken and then discovered the locations where they were supposed to be quarantined. It was complete chaos,” said Mushtaq.
His sister sent an audio note to him when she was waiting at the airport.
“It is a complete mess. They created a separate section for VIPs and they were taken out of the airport. We are told we will be quarantined,” she can be heard as saying.
A senior airport official, however, told ThePrint: “There was an order from the divisional commissioner’s office that said the arriving passengers needed to be quarantined. There was some delay and this caused panic. The police took action and pacified the situation.”
The official denied the allegation that some students were escorted out without being screened and were home-quarantined based on their status.
Condition of quarantine facility ‘not good’: Brother of a student, quarantined at the Haj House, said all the students have been kept together when they should have been separated.
“They have been put in one large hall. At least 20-25 students are together. We are appealing to the authorities to do the needful. We understand that they need to be quarantined but the conditions inside are not good. Especially the bathrooms are in bad shape,” said the brother, who didn’t want to be named.
On the allegation that quarantine facilities are shabby, a senior Jammu and Kashmir administration official said authorities concerned are ensuring that all precautions are taken for the well-being of the students.
“The concerns of the parents are being looked into. The UT administration is working tirelessly to ensure the well-being of each and every citizen,” said the official.