Seven people who took a Covid-19 patient to a hospital in Bengal’s Alipurduar district were refused entry at their village.

Seven people, including a Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat member, were refused entry at their village after they took a Covid-19 patient to a hospital in Alipurduar district in West Bengal.

On Monday, a commotion broke out at Vivekananda 2 gram panchayat block in the district as the villagers did not allow the seven people to enter the village in fear of them spreading Covid-19. The seven people then spent the night at a club in the neighbourhood without having any food.

After hearing their plight, Alipurduar MLA and BJP leader Suman Kanjilal rushed to the spot immediately. He gave food to the seven people, who are currently in quarantine at a club house.

“I came to the spot as soon as I got the news. These young people are the actual Covid-19 warriors. I gave food to everyone. I spoke to the people of the area. Social boycott is a crime,” the MLA said.

On Monday, the seven people got information about a senior citizen who complained of breathlessness. The patient’s wife and his daughter had called them up. They took him to the district hospital, where it was found that the senior citizen had contracted Covid-19.

They then took the patient to a Covid-19 dedicated hospital from the district hospital and got the patient admitted. But he later succumbed to the virus.

When the seven people returned to their village, they faced protests from the villagers, who did not allow them to enter the village, as they feared that they would spread the virus in the hamlet.