On Day 1 of 7pm curfew in Ludhiana, police toil to keep shops closed, residents indoors

With the curfew earlier starting at 9pm, in several areas shopkeepers kept their shutters open till then, inviting FIRs and challans

Day 1 of the night curfew starting at 7pm on Friday saw the police on their toes to get businesses closed and keep commuters off the roads.

Ludhiana, India - August 21, 2020 : Police installed Nakas at various points in the city on Friday night after lockdown imposed in the region during to corona virus outbreak in Ludhiana on Friday evening. (Gurpreet Singh/ Hindustan Times)

With the curfew earlier starting at 9pm, in several areas shopkeepers kept their shutters open till then, inviting FIRs and challans for violating the 7pm curfew order issued by the state government.

To spread awareness and check violations, police installed check points at various points in the city.

Shutters down at the Clock Tower market post 7pm on Friday night.

Through patrolling, they made shopkeepers close down the shops at Rajpura Road, Model Town, Sarabha Nagar, Chaura Bazaar, Jamalpur and Jawahar Nagar Camp. However, shops remained open till 8.30pm at Kakowal Road and Rahon Road till police reached there and had them closed.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, North) Gurbinder Singh said residents were allowed to venture out post 7pm only in case of emergency. “Police checkpoints are installed at all major points of the city to restrict movement,” he added, while appealing to residents to stay indoors to break the chain of infection.

He said they received several complaints from various parts of the city about people standing in small groups on inside roads after 7pm. The PCR motorcycle squad had them return to their houses.

Inspector Jarnail Singh, SHO at Division Number 8 police station, said he held a meeting with the market associations and shopkeepers, and informed them about the night curfew. “Most shopkeepers closed their shops themselves before 7pm. Others were issued warnings and challans. Repetition of the violation will lead to an FIR,” he added.

Meanwhile, residents hailed the government’s decision to start the curfew earlier. “Government should impose a complete lockdown for 15 days to control the spread of Covid-19. The decision to increase the night curfew hours was also much required to control the situation,” said Satnam Singh, 67, resident of Sham Nagar.