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Indian police use force against coronavirus lockdown offenders

Police across India are using force against violators of the country’s 21-day nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

Police in India have been using force against people breaking quarantine laws after the government announced a 21-day lockdown of 1.3 billion people to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Health researchers have warned that more than a million people in India could be infected with the virus by mid-May.

For many migrant workers, the lockdown has meant they no longer have jobs and are forced to try and make their way back to their home villages. 

“The police will beat me. I’m afraid they’ll beat me,” Raju, a migrant worker, said. “They aren’t even allowing us to sit anywhere.”

There are also fears in India about the virus spreading into impoverished communities and the ability of the public health sectors to cope with the crisis. 

India so far has more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and at least 29 deaths.

Watch our report compiled by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Mostafa Rachwani.