AHMEDABAD: Till January 23, cases of mask violation in the city hovered around 2,000-odd cases. Today, it is down to 600. What changed, you ask? The state government announced local body elections.
Since the polls were announced on January 23, the city police – which once showed great diligence in charging people found roaming without masks – suddenly developed a lackadaisical approach towards the violation.
This is apparent in the drastic decline in registration of mask offences. Since the day the elections were announced, a drop of 73% in mask offence has been noticed.
The city police registered 2,187 cases of mask offences on January 23. The very next day, it dropped to 1,367. On Saturday, the police registered just 600 cases.
City police officers said they have received orders from their higher-ups to soften their approach towards mask offenders. “We have been told not to charge fine of Rs 1,000 or file FIR against those found roaming without masks as it may increase conflict, and this may reflect in elections. We have shifted to counselling people without masks,” said a police officer, refusing to be named.
A senior police officer said, “People have cultivated the habit of wearing masks to avoid Covid-19 infection. Many are also getting vaccinated, which is visible in the drop in cases of infection.”
City police commissioner Sanjay Srivastav said, “It all depends on the situation. With cses of coronavirus on the decline and zero deaths being reported from the city, fewer cases are being registered.”