DC, SP on road at night to check curfew enforcement; 50 detained for violations; people strolling around for fun

Three young boys were riding on a motorcycle late at night. When the Police stopped them, they said, “It is too hot, we are riding for some fresh air.” It is indeed hot as the mercury is rising in Silchar. However, there is a bigger concern than the heat and that is the Coronavirus infections in the district. On Tuesday, 259 individuals tested positive for COVID19 in the district leaving 2,375 active cases.

Yesterday, the Government of Assam issued a new Standard Operating Procedure for the state. It was mentioned in the SOP, “Districts, where the total number of cumulative cases and per day cases are still showing persistently high numbers, especially Cachar, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, and Nagaon, will be under close watch till 21st June, 2021. In case there is no improvement in the COVID status in these districts, stricter restrictions may follow.”

A reason that was widely reported due to which the situation in Cachar is not improving up to the mark, is the violation of night curfew. A total ban on the movement of unexempted individuals has been imposed in the state between 1:00 pm and 5:00 am to restrict the outbreak of coronavirus infections. However, there are many residents of the Cachar district who violate the curfew norms for no genuine reason.

Yesterday, Cachar DC, Keerthi Jalli, and SP Vaibhav Chandrakant Nimbalkar visited various junctions of Silchar at night. There they stopped the people riding on a motorcycle or out for a drive. As many as 50 such violators were detained and fined.

“None of them had any valid reason. Some were out on walks and justifying their actions stating it is good for health. Yes, it is good for health, but not when there is a curfew imposed. We see people are visiting markets every day, crowding the marketplaces. We have been requesting to the general public for co-operation from the very beginning. We have together progressed a long way, I request again, the general public must follow the norms as we are closing to the end of this surge,” DC Keerthi Jalli said.

She added, “Another thing we have observed is that the people who are giving an undertaking and opting for home isolation, aren’t actually remaining in isolation. They step out of their home leading to further rise in infections. This is going to make the situation worse. I request people in home isolation to follow the norms otherwise, like last year, we will have to make hospital stay mandatory, even if the patient is asymptomatic.”

The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma had urged Assam Police to enforce the lockdown with a “humane heart”. The Police was not seen running behind people with sticks as was the case last year. However, a humane heart does not mean lowering the guards. “The Police department will get stricter and until the next order is issued by the Assam State Disaster Response Force, we will detain anyone and everyone found violating the night curfew norms,” warned Cacahr SP, Vaibhav Chandrakant Nimbalkar.

On June 21, the Government of Assam is expected to roll out the next set of guidelines for Cachar, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, and Nagaon.