New Delhi, Dec 22 (UNI) Former India cricketer Suresh Raina, who was arrested in Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday for violating Covid-19 guidelines and later released on bail, has explained his stance in a statement, saying that he regrets the unfortunate and unintentional incident.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his management, Raina said that he had been in Mumbai for a shoot which extended to late hours following which he was invited to a dinner at the club by a friend before his return to Delhi. He also mentioned that he was not aware of the local timings & protocols.
The police had arrested Raina and 33 others, including singer Guru Randhawa and Bollywood celebrity Sussanne Khan after a raid at a nightclub in Mumbai.
'Suresh was in Mumbai for a shoot which extended to late hours and was invited by a friend for a quick dinner post the same prior to him taking his flight back to Delhi. He was not aware of the local timings and protocols,' the statement read.
'Once pointed out, he immediately complied with the procedures laid out by the authorities and regrets the unfortunate and unintentional incident. He always holds rules and laws laid down by governing bodies with the highest regard and will continue to do so in the future as well,' it added.
According to Manjunath Singe, deputy commissioner of Mumbai Police, "legal action" was taken against Raina and the others arrested at the club.
"It is a violation of government instructions because the government has asked them [people] not to party beyond certain time, so they have violated that rule. They were taken into custody and left immediately on bail,' Singe told ESPNcricinfo.
According to Singe, Raina and the others have been booked under sections 188 and 269 of the Indian Penal Code and section 38 of the Mumbai Police Act.
Notably, the Maharashtra government on Monday decided to impose a night curfew in all the municipal areas of the state starting Tuesday night in the backdrop of a new strain of the coronavirus emerging in the United Kingdom. The curfew will be in place from 2300 hrs to 0600 hrs and will remain in force till January 5.
This is the second time in five months that cricketer has been in the news for non-cricketing reasons. Raina, who retired from international cricket on August 15 this year, had abruptly left the IPL's bio-secure bubble in the UAE later that month and returned to India citing personal reasons.
However, Raina will now be gearing up for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, which will be played between January 10 and 31 at various venues across India.
He has been named in his state team Uttar Pradesh's probables for the tournament. Uttar Pradesh are in Elite Group A, which will play the league phase of the tournament in Bengaluru.
UNI AVK NC 1902