PATNA: In an unprecedented move, an FIR was lodged against a dozen of persons including a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and two officers of Bihar Administrative Service (BAS) on Sunday for violating social distancing at a fish-rice party, hosted by a political worker, closely associated with education minister of Bihar KN Varma, on April 15.
A party was organised amid the lockdown at Sugaon village in Jehanabad district on the completion of one and half month of the house built by Pintu Yadav, who is said to be close to the education minister. Jehanabad SDPO Prabhat Bhushan Srivastava, BDO Makhdumpur Anil Mistry and CO Rajeev Ranjan besides many local prominent persons had reportedly attended the party.
When the matter reached the Jehanabad SP Manish Kumar, he immediately ordered an inquiry into it and found the matter primarily true. The SP sent an SOS letter to IG, police headquarters NH Khan aprising him of all details and participations by SDPO and others.
The IG headquarter immediately communicated the matter of serious nature to Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, who took a strong note of it and ordered to lodge the FIR against all the persons who attended the party.
The DGP told the media that the FIR (no 129/2020)on the written statement of an SI of Makhdumpur PS against the erring officers and others was lodged under the Disaster Management Act 188,269,270,271 of IPC. DGP said that no one would be spared howsoever powerful they may be,if found involved in violation of lockdown. "Everyone is equal before the law and suitable actions would be taken by the police," he said.
Meanwhile, Pintu Yadav denied that any social distancing was violated. The minister also denied of being in knowledge of any such party in Jehanabad. He told the media that he has nothing to take with this incident.
Besides all this, Bihar police arrested 60 persons in different parts of state on Sunday for violating lockdown and lodged 36 FIRs also. According to official figures shared by ADG HQ Jitendra Kumar, total 1100 persons have been jailed in Bihar from March 24 to April 19,1261 FIRs lodged and 30,185 vehicles seized by police on charges of violating the lockdown. Kumar said that a huge sum of Rs 7 crore was also realised in penalty from lockdown violators.