FIR against 41 persons in Meghalaya for flouting lockdown & attending marriage in Assam

July 13: Violating the ongoing lockdown norms, 41 people from Meghalaya crossed the state borders to attend a marriage party in a resort in Guwahati. The wedding was held in Guwahati on June 27 and the reception party  was here on July 2 in Shillong. As per reports, the wedding party was held at Greenwood Resort in Guwahati. Magisterial inquiries have revealed that all of them obtained interstate passes on dubious grounds.

Out of the 41 who attended the marriage party in Guwahati, two of them have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 8 persons who were the high risk contacts of the two positive patients were also tested positive for COVID-19. The decision of registering FIR against the marriage party was made after examining the reports of the two inquiries instituted by East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Matsiewdor War and Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner, RM Kurbah.

Surprisingly, while three persons are permitted to travel in one vehicle, 41 people attended the marriage with only five vehicles passes. It was in blatant violation of COVID protocol that two families comprising of 41 persons based out in Shillong travelled to Guwahati  which was known as the biggest COVID hotspot of the region. Criticism have also been leveled at the Government for its alleged lapse in allowing such a thing to happen. A case was registered at Sardar police station under relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Meghalaya Epidemic Diseases Covid-19 Regulation, 2020.