Guj: Women flout norms to ‘eradicate’ virus

Villagers felt that Covid will go away if water is poured on temple CORONAVIRUS NEGATIVE REPORT MANDATORY TO ENTER AHMEDABAD

Ahmedabad, May 5: Cocking a snook at Covid19 norms, a large number of women turned up at a religious event organised in a village in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district to “eradicate Coronavirus”, police said on Wednesday, adding 23 people, including the village head, have been arrested.

A video of the incident, which occurred in Navapura village in Sanand taluka on May 3, showed around 500 women carrying water pots on their heads while walking towards a temple.

The video grab also shows some men taking these pots to the top of the temple and emptying them.

After the video clip went viral on Wednesday, Ahmedabad rural police said appropriate action had already been taken.

A police officer said villagers believed that Coronavirus will just go away if water is poured on the Baliyadev temple.

“The incident took place on May 3 at Navapura village where women had gathered in large numbers carrying water pots. A police team rushed to the spot on the same day and arrested 23 villagers, including sarpanch Gafabhai Thakor, for organizing this event. Police had also seized the music system from the spot,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sanand Division, K.T. Kamariya.

He said all the accused have been booked for violating a police notification regarding public gatherings under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

In view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Gujarat government had banned all kinds of public gatherings in the state.

As of Tuesday, Gujarat’s overall Covid-19 tally stood at 6,20,472 with 7,779 fatalities, the state health department had said.

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Ahmedabad, May 5: Residents of Ahmedabad who visit other states for work are now required to produce a negative Covid19 RT-PCR test certificate to return to the city, civic authorities said on Wednesday.

Following a direction from the Gujarat High Court, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has scrapped its April 5 order which said Ahmedabad residents who visit other states for work will not be required to undergo RT-PCR tests upon city.

While hearing a PIL taken up suo motu (on its own) on the overall Covid19 situation in the state, the high court on April 29 asked the AMC to scrap its order issued on April 5.

The court noted that the AMC’s announcement was in contravention of the state government’s March

27 order, according to which a negative RT-PCR test certificate was compulsory for everyone entering Gujarat from other states. —

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