Police in Basti, Uttar Pradesh, have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the organizers of a recent religious program. The event, which featured Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, is facing charges related to alleged inflammatory speeches, violations of permission norms, and flouting COVID-19 protocols.
The FIR was registered on April 4 at the Kotwali police station concerning a ‘Sanatan Dharma Samvad’ held on March 29 at Government Inter College (GIC). The charges include violations under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) pertaining to obstructing public servants and failing to comply with legal directives. The complaint was lodged by Sub-Inspector Motichand following a spot inspection.
According to the FIR, organizers, identified as Prashant Pandey, the state president of the Rashtriya Brahman Mahasabha, and an unnamed individual, failed to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. The report highlighted a lack of social distancing, insufficient mask usage among attendees, and a general absence of visible enforcement or preventive measures despite the large gathering. This negligence is cited as a failure to follow government-issued health guidelines applicable to public events.
Furthermore, the organizers are accused of violating conditions set by the administration during the permission process for the event. Police stated that despite clear directives under Section 163 of the BNSS, the program did not comply with mandatory restrictions on public gatherings. The FIR also alleges that speeches delivered during the event contained content that could incite hostility between different communities.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that similar incidents of COVID-19 protocol violations at public gatherings have led to legal action in Uttar Pradesh. In January 2022, an FIR was registered against Samajwadi Party activists in Lucknow for gathering in large numbers at the party office, violating COVID norms during a joining-in function. In May 2021, Budaun police lodged an FIR against unidentified individuals for violating COVID-19 protocols during a funeral procession where thousands had gathered without adhering to social distancing or mask mandates.
In a separate but related legal development in Lucknow in February 2021, a court acquitted 18 people, including Indian and Indonesian nationals, who were booked for attending a Tablighi Jamaat congregation and allegedly disobeying government guidelines during the pandemic. The court noted that there was insufficient evidence to prove violations of quarantine rules or a deliberate intent to spread the virus.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
