New Delhi: A case has been registered against former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dhananjay Mahadik and two others for violating COVID-19 regulations at a Pune wedding, ANI reported. Mahadik’s son got married on Sunday and the event saw a number of high-profile politicians – including former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar – in attendance.
The violations came at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in Maharashtra, and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned of another lockdown if guidelines are not adhered to. The politicians, however, seemed to believe these warnings did not include them.
“A case has been registered against former BJP MP Dhananjay Mahadik and two others for violating COVID-19 norms in a marriage function of Mahadik’s son. A case has been registered under section 188, 269, 271 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act,” a police officer told ANI. According to a complaint filed with the police, between 1,000 and 1,200 people attended the wedding.
Maharashtra: Case registered against former MP Dhananjay Mahadik & two others for violation of COVID-19 measures at marriage function of his son in Pune on Feb 21. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis & Haryana Dy CM Dushyant Chautala were among the attendees. pic.twitter.com/gGBv8dSpeX
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2021
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According to News18, the coronavirus protocol violations were clearly visible. Fadnavis, for example, attended the wedding without a mask on. According to rules in Pune, no more than 200 people are allowed to attend a wedding celebration.
Other leaders who attended the wedding were Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council Pravin Darekar, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Pune city mayor Murlidhar Mohol.
After Thackeray’s appeal on Sunday, some politicians made it a point to cancel their public appearances. NCP’s Supriya Sule, for instance, has postponed her engagements, and higher education minister Uday Samant has cancelled his. Specific regulations, including a night curfew, have been put in place in some areas.
Pune is one of the five districts in Maharashtra reporting a resurgence of COVID-19 cases recently. The Centre has asked states like Maharashtra that are reporting new COVID-19 case load surges to increase disease surveillance and speed up the vaccination drive in affected areas.
