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Former mayor Prashant Jagtap arrested for flouting Covid norms
Former Pune mayor and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Prashant Jagtap was arrested by the Shivajinagar police on Monday for violating Covid-19 rules during the inauguration of the new party office in Shivajinagar on Saturday
Former Pune mayor and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Prashant Jagtap was arrested by the Shivajinagar police on Monday for violating Covid-19 rules during the inauguration of the new party office in Shivajinagar on Saturday.
Jagtap was arrested and later released on bail along with a few other party office bearers who had been booked in the case. A large number of NCP party workers gathered at the spot after the news of arrests spread in the city via social media.
Jagtap was among the six office-bearers including party youth leader Mahesh Hande, Pradeep Deshmukh, Nilesh Nikam and Rohan Paygude, Balasaheb Bodake booked according to a statement issued by Shivajinagar police station that suo moto filed a case under Sections 188, 269, 270 of Indian Penal Code, Section 51(b) of National Disaster Management Act, and Section 11 of Maharashtra Covid-19 regulation.
Hande had applied for permission at Shivajingaar police station to hold the inauguration of the new party office, and the application mentioned that the people in attendance at the event will strictly follow Covid norms.
According to Hande’s application, permission was granted on the condition of following noise pollution and other relevant rules. He was also served with a Section 149 CrPC warning notice. On June 19 at 5pm, the office was inaugurated at Palashri Apartment, Loksahir Annabhau Sathe Chowk, Dengle bridge, Shivajinagar. But instead of 100-150 people, which was mentioned verbally by Hande and not in writing, over 400-500 people attended event inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The officials were not maintaining social distance and some were not wearing masks, a statement released from Shivajinagar police station stated. Sometime before the party office inauguration, deputy chief minister had chided a press reporter for asking about social distancing norms at the gathering. Police constable Ganesh Veer had lodged the complaint against the accused.
