AAP’s Baghapurana rally: Admn shies away from taking action against Covid violators

On March 12, the Moga district authorities granted a permission to AAP to hold a public gathering at new grain market with conditions of strict compliance of Covid-19 rules

The Moga district administration remains non-committal on initiating action against the political activists who blatantly flouted Covid-19 guidelines at a rally organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Baghapurana on Sunday.

Deputy commissioner Sandeep Hans said the administration has videographic evidences that social distancing was not followed and a sizable section of the gathering at the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ was without face masks amid second wave of coronavirus infections.

“We are well aware of what happened at Sunday’s event (where Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was the chief guest). The entire matter is being looked into,” said the DC.

Baghapurana deputy superintendent of police Jasbinder Singh said no action is being taken as the police have not received any complaint against violation of guidelines issued by the administration.

Following assessment by the team of health experts, the Punjab government had rated Moga as one of the 11 districts worst-hit by the surge in pandemic outbreak.

Official sources said after AAP leadership violated official instructions, onus lies with the district administration to take action. “But it is highly unlikely that the state government will approve any punitive action to be taken against the AAP or farmer unions who have been constantly holding rallies for the last several months amid pandemic outbreak. District authorities face an administrative dilemma to justify imposing fines on a common man but turn blind eye on violations committed by the political fronts and trade unions,” said a senior functionary posted in a district.

On Sunday, a large posse of the police deployed at the Moga rally did not intervene when pandemic rules were breached.

On March 12, the Moga district authorities granted a permission to AAP to hold a public gathering at new grain market with conditions of strict compliance of Covid-19 rules.

As per the administration’s instructions, AAP had deployed volunteers with hand sanitisers at different entry points.

But hardly anyone was spotted with face covers among the gathering and several AAP leaders sharing dais with Kejriwal were also spotted without masks.

There were no chairs for the public and distancing was not arranged for all those squatted at the rally venue.

Galleries reserved for the media and others were thrown open by the organisers for its activists and the enclosures were overcrowded and chaotic. Some journalists had to step out of the pandal as the police and AAP organisers allowed free movement of public who were not following

No appeal was made from in this regard from the dais that was occupied by Delhi CM, Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann and several AAP legislators.

In the presence of Kejriwal, several AAP leaders mocked Covid guidelines as a conspiracy to derail their Moga rally.

State media coordinator of AAP Manjit Sidhu said the party did its best to follow guidelines but the state government did not extend any support to those who had come to attend a rally that had an official sanction.

“We distributed nearly 75,000 face masks and all buses and venue were thoroughly sanitised. Only people with Covid negative report were allowed on the state,” he said.