Hindpiri, the capital’s Covid-19 containment zone with around 70 cases of infections and 70,000 residents, is simmering as residents allege “excesses” by the security forces to impose the “lockdown” and the police and the CRPF complain of unrest.

Tensions that erupted on Saturday night between residents and the paramilitary forces deputed in Hindpiri spilled over on Sunday too with residents allegedly damaging a police vehicle and pelting stones at Kotwali DSP Ajit Kumar Vimal.

“I was speaking to locality residents at Sarfaraz Chowk, Bhatti Chowk and other localities in Hindpiri on why the lockdown was good for their health. I thought people had started to get what I was saying when suddenly some youths surrounded me and started pelting bricks and stones at me. But even then, some people tried to save me and got injured.”

Hindpiri has been on the edge since over a month. On Saturday itself, social workers told The Telegraph that people wanted some relaxations in the lockdown that they termed inhuman and called for micro-level containment zones where infections had been reported instead of the whole area.

Social workers also said the heavy-handed lockdown made life difficult for pregnant women, the ailing, the elderly and those on fast during Ramzan, while many residents were deeply upset at the “negative propaganda” that made it seem that a specific community was the carrier of the Covid-19.

At the same time, many from Hindpiri, chafing under the curbs, had been trying to move out of the containment zone. To minimise health risks, chief minister Hemant Soren announced the deployment of the CRPF in Hindpiri on April 28.

Since then, residents have accused the CRPF of being heavy-handed, abusing or even assaulting people who came out for essential work.

On Saturday, an argument between a former ward councillor Md Aslam and the CRPF snowballed into tensions. Residents pelted stones at the CRPF which had to cane the crowd. The tensions seemed to abate when senior administrative officials came to the area and spoke to people.

Ranchi DC Rai Mahimapat Ray urged people to avoid spreading rumours.

SSP Anish Gupta said the situation was under control and more DSPs and senior police officials are being deployed in different localities. “As per rule, FIRs will be lodged against people who defied the lockdown and prevented cops and officials from doing their job. Residents alleged misbehaviour by CRPF and this is being investigated. But the CRPF will not be withdrawn from the area,” Gupta said.

A CRPF official claimed none of their personnel misbehaved with any resident.