1,755 violations across state on Day 1 of extended lockdown

Ranchi: Police took action against 1,755 persons for various violations of the lockdown norms under Indian Penal Code and Disaster Management Act on the first day of the extended Swasthya Suraksha Saptah (SSS). Notably, the state government has extended the lockdown from May 16 to May 27 and taken elaborate measures to implement additional curbs on activities.
Figures released by the police headquarters on Sunday evening said that 911 persons were fined for not wearing masks with the police collecting a sum of Rs 3,71,260 from them. Also, 844 people were booked for violation of other norms. Police registered nine FIR’s, arrested one person and also sealed several shops selling goods in violation of the norms in different districts of the state. The maximum number of violations was from the Deoghar district with a figure of 466 while Ranchi was second with 385 instances.
Inspector general (operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson Amol Homkar said, “Police activities at these check posts are being monitored from the headquarters. The focus is on compliance of norms through persuasion and imposing fines. However, police are also registering FIRs in some cases.” He stated that special vigil is being kept in local markets.
The state government has set up 108 check points on inter-state and inter-district borders to regulate the movement of people. Police carried out checking at around 90 places in different parts of Ranchi district to enforce the SSS norms.