Notice to banquet hall for violation of protocols at Deepika’s marriage

Ranchi: Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned the people about increasing negligence in social and personal behaviour during Unlock 1.0 and called for strict compliance to norms to control the spread of Covid-19 in his address to the nation on Tuesday evening, all central and state Covid-19 protocols were flouted at the celebrity wedding of ace archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das in Ranchi in presence of who is of Jharkhand.
The number of guests attending the ceremony was far above the permissible figure of 50 and many from the bride and the groom’s family did not wear masks, which is mandatory in public places and gatherings in the state.
The ceremony was attended by several bigwigs, including the chief minister Hemant Soren, DGP M V Rao, social worker and Padamshree awardee Ashok Bhagat, MLAs Sudesh Mahto (Ajsu Party) and Naveen Jaiswal (BJP) and Mayor Asha Lakra among others. While most of the VIP guests wore masks and there were arrangement for sanitizing hands before entering the venue, social distancing norms were not followed as the number of guests was far higher than permitted. Sources at the evet said as many as 500 people were at the venue at one point.
The large contingent of security personnel also added to the crowd. While leaving the premises, Hemant congratulated the couple for a successful marital life ahead. He sported a face mask, but had removed it for the photo shoot.
DGP M V Rao had to instruct the junior cops on duty to ensure proper social distancing. Leavinng the venue after blessing the couple, Rao asked the cops to instruct the guests to follow the anti-Covid norms in place.
As the star-studded event and the violation of norms became a talk of the town on Wednesday, the Ranchi district administration issued a notice to the management of Vrindavan Banquet hall, where the ceremony took place.
Ranchi deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray said that notice was issued as the violation of norms was evident in all the photographs on social and mainstream media. “We are not sure about the exact number of guests and the banquet management has been asked to explain if the guidelines issued by the state and the Centre were followed during the marriage ceremony,” he said.
Deepika’s father Shiv Narayan Mahto said they had made arrangements for all necessary precautions like mask and sanitizers. “I repeatedly requested the guests to wear masks before entering the premises and we had arranged for a sufficient number of masks to be distributed. A pedal-operated sanitizer was also placed at the gate and there were just a few chairs inside to ensure that people do not sit close to each other,” he said. Mahato, however, did not comment on the number of guests who attended the marriage.
One of the family members said the number of guests was higher, because even if the number of invitees is regulated there are chances of more people coming to extend wishes, especially if it was the first daughter’s marriage in the family. “We can’t refuse any one for coming to bless the couple,” he said.