After the intervention of Mumbai Police and the Arunachal Pradesh government, a cancer patient from the North-Eastern state, who has denied accommodation by a Mulund housing society amid the COVID-19 fear, has been allowed by the society to stay there. On Monday, 74-year-old Rinzin Yangzom arrived in Mumbai along with his daughter Tesring from Arunachal Pradesh for his cancer treatment at Tata Hospital. They were to stay at Mulund’s Sainath Estate in a flat owned by Bombay Sarvodaya Friendship Centre, which provides accommodation to patients coming from outside the city. While Rinzin had stayed on the premises during his earlier visit to the city, society members this time objected and did not allow them entry. “I called trust member Anil Hebber and told him about it. He called the secretary of the building, asking them to allow us to stay. They, however, said they cannot allow us on the premises as they were following guidelines issued by the BMC and police,” Tesring said. They were then moved by Hebbar toa guesthouse run by the Arunachal Pradesh government in Vashi. Hebbar subsequently tweeted about the “discrimination” the duo faced. After his tweet went viral, society members filed a complaint at Navghar police station against Hebbar that he was allowing people to stay in flats under the guise that they were patients. Hebbar was subsequently called to the police station. He met the police on March 17. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday tweeted that his office had taken cognisance of the issue and was taking it up with local authorities. “Today (Wednesday) evening around 3.45 pm Navghar police called the president and secretary of the society and then discussed the matter after which father and daughter were allowed to stay on the premises,” Hebbar said. Father and daughter will move into the Mulund flat on March 21. Rinzin will have to wait till April 9 for chemotherapy, which has been postponed because of the virus outbreak.
