FIR against Mumbai music concert organiser for violating COVID-19 norms

Police have registered an FIR against the organiser of singer AP Dhillon’s live concert at a luxury hotel here for allegedly violating COVID-19 protocols, an official said on Monday, an action coming in the midst of growing concern over the new Omicron variant.

The show was held at the hotel in suburban Santacruz (East) on Sunday.

According to the official, the FIR was registered against one Siddhesh Khodaskar, who had organised the event, at the Vakola police station on Sunday night.

Soon after the concert started in the evening, videos of the event went viral on social media and a police team reached the hotel to check if COVID-19 norms were being followed.

The police team found the norms put in place to check the spread of coronavirus were being flouted and the venue was also overcrowded, the official said.

The police took suo motu (on its own) cognizance of the matter and lodged the FIR under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease danger­ous to life), and also relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, he said.

It has come into light that the organiser had taken all the required permissions from the Mumbai civic body BMC for the concert, but did not follow the guidelines formulated for such gatherings, the official said.

Further investigation was underway.

The emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Africa last month has fuelled fresh worries about the pandemic. Till December 12, Maharashtra had reported 18 cases of Omicron, classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the WHO.