Assam Police Arrests 3 Motorcyclists for Breaking Lockdown Rules amid Corona Crisis

Dibrugarh, March 27, 2020:

On the day when Assam saw flagrant defiance of the Government imposed guidelines pf following 'social distancing' to contain the spread of the pandemic coronavirus, the Dibrugarh police arrested 3 persons for violating the lockdown restrictions. All have been forwarded to judicial custody today.

The three accused -- Biru Singh, Joydeep Dey and Santosh Prasad -- have been sent to judicial custody against Dibrugarh Police Station case No.578/2020. All three were caught while riding their motorcycles. In all, four cases have been registered in this regard.

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Yesterday, Dibrugarh Police arrested an individual from the Upper Assam town’s Rajgarh area. The authorities have also seized a motorcycle, bearing registration number AS 06 D 3271. The apprehendee was reportedly arrested for performing 'stunts' on the road.

It may be mentioned here that the Government has imposed heavy penalty for breaking the rules of the lockdown, which is considered an absolute necessity as the corona continues its rampant spread to all the corners of the globe.

It may be mentioned here that Assam State Government had imposed a 5-day lockdown initially due to the coronavirus. However, the central Government imposed a 21-day strict lockdown in a bid to contain the spread of the virus in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the public to refrain from roaming outside as they would be at risk of getting infected.

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The Government had decided to shun all operations barring essential activities. Additionally, the authorities had informed that disregarding the stringent laws could land one in prison for 6 months (during initial arrest) and 2 years (for a second violation).

Section 270 in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will come into effect in this case. It states, “Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease danger­ous to life —Whoever malignantly does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”

During the lockdown, grocery, pharmacies and petrol pumps will be functional. Except these, all shops and services, educational institutions be it private or public will remain closed. Emergency services like medical, financial, fire brigade, electricity will also remain open for the public.

COVID-19 Update:

Till now, the coronavirus has infected 552,639 people worldwide, with 128,706 having recovered. Out of 398,889 active cases, 377,827 are said to be mild infections, while 21,062 (5%) are said to be critical/serious. Meanwhile, the United States has surpassed Italy and Japan to become the country with the most number of cases. The country has reported 85,762 cases so far. Italy has recorded the most deaths at 8,215. In India, 863 infections have been reported, with 20 deaths reported so far.

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