The family members of a coronavirus patient in Karnataka’s Belagavi district on Wednesday allegedly set an ambulance on fire after his death at a hospital, The Times of India reported.

The 55-year-old man had been admitted to the Belagavi Institute Of Medical Sciences. After the man’s death, a crowd assembled at the hospital and began throwing stones at the building. Some of them allegedly attacked members of the hospital staff.

The mob, then, set fire to an ambulance and attacked police vehicles. The police had to use force to disperse the crowd, according to the newspaper.

Belagavi City Police Commissioner Thyagarajan told The Indian Express that a complaint has been filed against people responsible for the vandalism. “It is an unfortunate incident,” he said. “The patient’s relatives should not damage the public properties. Our medical staff is working very hard during these difficult times. Appropriate action will be taken.”

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“There was no one in the 108 ambulance when the miscreants set the vehicle on fire,” the commissioner added. “There were 30 to 40 people present in the mob and as precautionary measures, we have deployed more police force around the hospital.”

Karnataka is witnessing sharp increase in coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, the state reported 4,764 new cases and 55 deaths. Karnataka’s overall count rose to 75,833 and the toll reached 1,519.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday announced that another lockdown will not be imposed in the state, but said that certain restrictions will continue in containment zones. Last week, Yediyurappa had directed private hospitals in the state to reserve 50% of their beds for coronavirus patients amid a sharp increase in the number of cases. He had expressed concern about the deaths of coronavirus patients after being denied treatment by certain hospitals.

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