Bathinda: Maskless leaders, helpless police authorities
BATHINDA: Despite the rapid rise in Covid cases in Bathinda, the district police ignored a large celebratory function attended by Congress councillors at a luxury banquet hall on the city’s periphery on Friday night.
Photos and videos of the party at Three Palm Resorts, 6km from Bathinda on the highway to Amritsar, are being shared widely on social media. They show the Congress leaders, including senior deputy mayor Ashok Pradhan set to dine together.
Firecrackers were also let off at the resort in the evening.
Pradhan said that the event was hosted by Sandeep Goyal, the husband of newly elected first woman mayor Raman Goyal. He confirmed the photos were of Friday’s event. Denying that he hosted the event, Sandeep said Covid guidelines were followed by the attendees. The photos show that the attendees were neither wearing masks nor maintaining social distancing. “I briefly stayed at the resort and there was no party. No women, including my wife, was present at the casual get-together,” he said.
Different rules for different people
Taking prompt action, the local police arrested eight people for hosting a pre-wedding function at Bathinda’s elite Civil Lines Club on Wednesday. But when 40 cars and motorcycles were reported at the resort on Friday, the police chose to overlook the information.
Gates were closed from inside and lights of the sprawling lawns and the reception areas were shut off after journalists gathered outside the resort.
Following queries of journalists, the police sent a raiding party but it left without initiating any action. Bathinda range IGP Jaskaran Singh and SSP BS Virk did not respond to the phone calls.
Dhindsa aide booked for violation of norms at son’s wedding
Gurmeet Singh Johal, media in-charge of Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, was booked for violating the Covid-19 guidelines at the wedding of his son at his house at Dream Land Colony in Sangrur on Friday night.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team inspected the venue where the gathering comprised more than 20 people, the limit fixed by the state government to check the spread of coronavirus.
Deputy superintendent of police (rural) Satpal Sharma said, “Though a case has been registered against Johal and others, no arrest has been made so far.”