Sleuths of the Navghar police have booked 26 people including members of a Ganesh Utsav Mandal in Bhayandar for violating the state government's guidelines that have been issued for celebrating festivals amid the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
The action followed after a patrolling team spotted the gathering which had assembled in the pandal of Shree Sainath Ganesh Mitra Mandal located in the Goddev Naka area of BP Road in Bhayandar (East) late on Sunday night.
While social distancing norms were not being adhered, some of them were not even wearing facemasks, police said. “Yes, we have booked 26 people under the relevant sections of the IPC and provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and Maharashtra Covid-19 regulations.” confirmed, Senior Police Inspector- Sampatrao Patil.
Apart from other health-related protocols including use of facemasks and hand-sanitizers, the government guidelines state that aartis can only be attended by up to ten persons while a maximum of five people can carry out installation and immersion of idols, for household and sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav.
While no arrests were made, those named in the FIR have been sent notices, said the police.
