125 booked in Gujarat for religious procession amid pandemic

Ahmedabad: Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against around 125 people for allegedly flouting COVID-19 guidelines after they took out a religious procession at Palodiya village in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat, an official said.

So far, 15 people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place around 10 am on Tuesday in Kalol Tehsil, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Kalol division), V N Solanki, said.

Around 125 men and women had taken part in the procession to offer prayers, he said.

”Despite creating awareness among rural people against holding such prayers during the COVID-19 pandemic and despite the instructions to sarpanchs (village heads) to inform the police about such gatherings, these people assembled at one place in a large numbers,” Solanki said.

The FIR against those who took part in the procession was registered at Santej police station on Wednesday. While 35 of the participants have been identified, the remaining ones are yet to be identified, he said.

They were booked under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), and provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, he said.

”We have arrested 15 of these accused persons, and the video footage of the event is being scanned. Soon, we will identify and arrest all of them,” Solanki said.