An ambulance was set on fire on Wednesday night at the Belgavi Institute of Medical Science and Hospital (BIMS) in Karnataka's Belgavi district by relatives of a coronavirus patient, who succumbed to the disease. The relatives of the 55-year-old COVID-19 victim also went on to pelt stones at the hospital building, which instantly led to a lot of commotion and tension in the area. 

Police officials stated that the relatives had attempted to attack the hospital staff after damaging the premises and setting the ambulance on fire. A case has since been registered by the authorities and an investigation is underway. After the ambulance was set on fire, the fire department was notified immediately, who rushed to the spot where the police had already blocked the nearby roads for them to enter the hospital zone. All roads leading to the hospital were blocked in quick time after which the fire was doused out by firemen and the situation was brought back under control. According to the police, a constable, who was present at the spot, also went on to sustain some injuries. 

Authorities have said the incident is an unfortunate one and have requested the people to cooperate during these torrid times of the pandemic and not damage public property. It is being reported that based on the findings in the investigation appropriate action will be taken on all those who were involved in the violent incident. They further added that there was no person inside the 108 ambulance when it was lit on fire. It is being reported that nearly 30 to 40 people were present in the mob after which more police personnel were deployed around the hospital as precautionary measures. 

Karnataka recorded 4,764 positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the state's total number of infections to 75,833 cases. The day also saw 1,780 recoveries with 55 deaths linked to the disease. "Out of the total positive cases, 27,239 patients have been discharged and 1,519 deaths have occurred. Presently, 47,069 cases continue to be active and 618 among these are undergoing treatment in ICU," the Karnataka health department bulletin stated, which also read that 11,12,874 samples have been tested of which 10,02,045 have turned negative. 

Watch the video of the violent incident shared on Twitter in the tweet below: