Everyone entering Gandhi Hospital on Friday afternoon had to pass through police scanner.
When three youngsters were passing through the main gate on a bike, a constable posted there kept an eye on them till they entered the premises.
Tight security was unmissable to anyone who had visited the government hospital post noon. The number of policemen increased as the day progressed.
The two entry points of the hospital were guarded by the police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel. Barricades were placed way ahead of the gates, and people trying to cross them were asked about their purpose of visit.
The last time such heavy security was deployed at the hospital was when it was one of the main treatment centres during peak COVID times.
Wearing blue helmets, some RAF personnel were holding lathis, shields, and even arms.
After entering the main gates, police and RAF personnel were lined up alongside the road for a few meters. Police were interspersed thereafter and their presence was strong again at the Emergency Block. It is here that the 13 injured were undergoing treatment.
Some protesters whose friends were among the 13 injured were very wary while moving near the hospital. “Are the constables walking towards us,” asked one of them.
After the body of D. Rakesh (22), who died during the protest, was moved to the hospital’s mortuary on Friday evening, the police personnel shifted there. Barricades were again placed way ahead of gate to the mortuary. Attendants of patients were asked to clear the way.
When Rakesh’s cousins and friends tried to enter, they too were stopped and allowed only after they revealed their relation with the youngster. The barricades were opened only when senior police officials zoomed into the premises.
After the post-mortem, when Rakesh’s body was moved in an ambulance on Friday, there was a police vehicle before and behind the ambulance.
