An on duty sanitation workers were attacked by a mob in Khategaon area of Dewas district on Friday.

Identified as Deepak, the young sanitation worker was critically injured after the agitated mob led by a youth named Adil attacked him. Deepak and his team were allegedly surrounded by locals armed with sticks, rods and axes.

While some of the workers managed to escape the attack, one of them, identified as Deepak, sustained critical injuries after he was attacked with an axe. He was then rushed to a health centre in Khategaon and was later referred to a hospital in Dewas town.

Deepak was attacked when he went to clean ward number 7 in Khategaon village.

The prime accused, identified as Adil, has been arrested and the police is looking for the other accused. They have been booked for attempt to murder and other provisions under the SC/ST Act.

‘During interrogation, Aadil said that he took part in the violence as Gop Khan had told them that since the lockdown, namaazees and followers of the Tablighi Jamaat were hounded by government workers,’ Assistant superintendent of police said.

After this shocking incident came to light, other sanitation workers were stopped from doing their duties in the village.

This is not the first time when the front-line workers have been attacked in the country. A few days back, on duty health workers and cops were attacked by locals in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad.

The health workers had visited the locality in Moradabad to screen and test coronavirus suspects when they were attacked with sticks while some took to the rooftops and pelted stones on the medical staff severely injuring some of them. A case under various IPC sections was registered by the UP Police.

Also Read: Abused, Attacked, Beaten: Frontline Workers Are Risking Their Lives Everyday In India