69 booked as villagers in Haveri district hold fair amid COVID-19

Amid the restrictions imposed on fairs on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the residents of a village in Haveri district organised a fair violating prohibitory orders. The police booked cases against 69 persons on Friday.

The police filed cases against the organising committee members of Karjagi Brahmalingeshwar Temple and their family members after a video of the gathering and a bullock cart procession, held on account of ‘Kaara Hunnime’ (festival), surfaced on social media.

Official sources said that the committee members had organised the celebrations on Thursday on the temple premises despite the Deputy Commissioner, Krishna Bajpai, issuing prohibitory orders in the district.

Hundreds of people gathered in the village to witness the event, with no regard for social distancing norms. Additional Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi said that as the committee members had organised the event in violation of the prohibitory orders, the Haveri Rural police had booked cases against 69 people under provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Mr. Bajpai said he had denied permission to the villagers of Karjagi when they came to his office last week seeking permission for the event. He said that subsequently, the Assistant Commissioner and tahsildar of Haveri conducted several meetings with the villagers to dissuade them from holding the event. However, the residents went ahead with it.

Source: Read Full Article