Corporator among 11 held for birthday party amid lockdown

A BJP corporator and 10 others were arrested at Panvel in Raigad district of Maharashtra after they were found assembled at one place for his birthday celebration despite the ongoing lockdown, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place late on Friday night, they said.

All of them had gathered on the terrace of a residential building at Takka village in Panvel for the birthday celebration of Ajay Bahira (42), the BJP corporator in Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), they said.

"The police received a tip-off that some people have gathered on the terrace to celebrate his birthday. A police team rushed to the spot and 11 persons, including the corporator, were held when the celebration was on," senior inspector of Panvel Police Station, Ajaykumar Landge, said.

Another official said that alcohol was being served at the party.

"They were not wearing masks and flouted the social distancing norms. An alert citizen informed about the celebration to the Navi Mumbai control room, following which a Panvel police team rushed to the spot and took all of them into custody," he said.

They were arrested and later released on bail, the official added.

They have been booked under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule), 290 (public nuisance) and others.

Offence was also registered against them under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, they said.