Curfew violations: Fazilka turns stadiums, college auditorium into temporary jails

The Fazilka administration has turned the auditorium of DAV College in Abohar and multipurpose sports stadiums in Fazilka and Jalalabad towns into temporary jails

The Fazilka administration has turned the auditorium of DAV College in Abohar and multipurpose sports stadiums in Fazilka and Jalalabad towns into temporary jails to tide over the shortage of space to lodge persons violating curfew. Fazilka has only a sub-jail and that can house only 80 inmates. To date, the local police have arrested 275 persons for disobedience of curfew orders issued in view of Covid-19. Now, 49 persons had been lodged in these jails with social distancing norms being followed.

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Deputy commissioner Arvind Pal Singh Sandhu said, “People continue to violate curfew restrictions. In addition to these jails, we have also decided to suspend supply of vegetables, fruits and grocery items in the district till Sunday to check unnecessary movements of residents. People with emergency needs will be helped.”

Fazilka SSP Harjeet Singh said that even other offenders can be kept at the identified temporary jails. “Due to limited space in Fazilka sub-jail, we needed a place to keep offenders. Till date 114 FIRs have lodged and we have started using drones to identify curfew violators under a zero tolerance policy.” Ferozepur also designated Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium as a jail on Saturday.