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150 arrested for venturing out of house for morning walk in Chandigarh
A number of Punjab and Haryana bureaucrats were among 466 rounded up and let off with a warning
An advocate, businessmen and IT professionals literally “walked” into trouble on Monday as police arrested 150 persons out for their morning constitutional despite curfew orders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 32 others were arrested for venturing out without masks and 18 FIRs registered.
A number of Punjab and Haryana bureaucrats were among 466 rounded up and let off with a warning.
The special drive to nab walkers was carried out in 120 parks across the city, including 40 in the central sub-division, 35 in the east and 45 in the south sub-divisions.
Police stations under which maximum arrests were made included Sarangpur with 98 persons in six cases; Sector 11 with seven persons in two cases; Sector 3 with six persons in one case; Sector 26 with 15 persons in six cases; Industrial Area with nine persons; Sector 19 with three persons and Sector 34 with nine persons in five cases.
Majority from colony areas
A majority of the people arrested by Sarangpur police are from colony areas. “They went for walks in the morning even after repeated warnings,” said a police official.
Among those arrested were a 26-year-old B Tech graduate working in a private firm in Mohali and a 35-year-old man with a degree from an Australian university working for an international firm, said a Sector 19 police station official, requesting anonymity.
The Punjab and Haryana bureaucrats rounded up were let off with a warning, said a senior police official carrying out the drive.
“Senior citizens too were rounded but they cited health problems as the reason why they needed to walk,” said a police official posted in the south subdivision.
Without masks
Of the 32 arrested without masks, 14 were from the east sub-division in 13 cases. Only two cases were registered in the central sub-division with 11 persons; and three cases with seven arrests in the south.
Commenting on the drive, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagadale said, “The crackdown will continue till the time people completely adhere to the prohibitory orders. They need to understand that it is being done for their welfare and keeping their safety in mind. Anybody found going for a walk will be booked immediately.”
The cases are being registered under section 188 (disobedience of order promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, under which a person can be fined up to Rs 1,000 and be imprisoned for up to six months.
The chief patron of Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) and president of the Senior Citizen Council of Sector 38, Major (retd) DP Singh, said, “All RWAs and senior citizen groups had messaged members to abstain from morning walks to stop the spread of Covid-19. The police must continue to take action against people not following orders.”
