Fear gripped the residents of the migrant camp at Jagti in Jammu after a Covid-19 case was detected on Wednesday. Over 10,000 people live at the camp, which houses Kashmiri Pandit migrants.

The residents claimed that the Covid-19 positive person, a policeman who had returned from Anantnag district in Kashmir a week ago, violated home quarantine rules and interacted with several people in the camp. He daily visited several shops over the last week, and also visited some of his relatives in the camp, the residents claimed.

Police have sealed Lane 5 and declared it a red zone and started contact tracing. Relief Commissioner (M) TK Bhat said, “We have come to know about the positive case. The health department has started contact tracing. Our staff is helping them.”

However, residents fear that many people who came in contact with the Covid-19 positive person are not coming forward. They also raised questions about how the policeman was allowed to reach home and not tested on his way to Jammu and sent to an official quarantine centre.

“There should be an investigation about how the policeman was allowed to enter the camp. Why was he not sent to a quarantine centre. Why no test was conducted in Kashmir, knowing that several policeman in Anantnag had tested positive. The negligence on part of the administration has put the lives of thousands at risk,” said Sunil Pandita, a social activist living in the camp.

These housing units are compact four-storey buildings, increasing the risk of the virus spreading quickly.