An administrative official in Indore found himself in a tight spot after his attempt to teach a lesson to mask defaulters turned into an embarrassment. In a bid to set an example, Tehsildar at Indore’s Depalpur village took out a procession of some people for violating COVID-19 guidelines on Sunday. The violators were made to proceed in a typical crouching gait and then forced to hop like frogs on the road with drums being played.
As the procession progressed, it became evidently clear that the police failed to recognise the need of social distancing. The violators, who were apparently heading for marriage, crouched close to each other as they moved. In the video, an official is also seen kicking the man on the back when he fails to leap like a frog in sync with drum beats. No one pointed out the need to avoid corporal punishment — bystanders appeared to enjoy themselves. Also, many in the procession were seen using cloth masks or wrapping a folded handkerchief around their faces.
Speaking with news agency ANI, village Tehsildar Bajrang Bahadur said “Police and other administrations have also announced and urged people to not come out of their house unnecessarily but some people are not taking these restrictions seriously. Because of this, we have to do such things. The main aim of such action is that the other people should get inspired and they do not violate lockdown guidelines,”
The incident took place at Depalpur Tehsin where a lockdown is announced due to increasing COVID-19 cases. However, district officials have admonished the official for using corporal punishment against violators. Speaking about the incident, Indore District Collector Manish Singh on Monday said the action of the official was “totally wrong”, adding that “I have scolded him”.
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However, Singh said citizens who neglect norms in place under the Epidemic Diseases Act due to the prevailing pandemic are liable to punished.
On Sunday, Madhya Pradesh recorded 12,662 new COVID-19 cases that took the state’s tally to 5,88,368. With 94 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, the state’s fatality rate has reached 5,812.
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