A Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader, Mridul Dwivedi, from Katni in Madhya Pradesh was made to pay a fine of ₹10,000 by the local administration for flouting COVID-19 norms after a video showed him celebrating his birthday near a temple in the presence of his supporters and cutting a cake, an official said on June 14.
Authorities also directed supporters of Katni district BJYM president Dwivedi to remain in home isolation for a week. If they fail to adhere to the directive, appropriate legal action will be taken against them, he added.
However, the administration didn’t invoke legal action against Mr. Dwivedi under the Epidemic Diseases Act, saying he has “expressed remorse and assured of not repeating the act”.
Authorities swung into action after a video purportedly showed Mr. Dwivedi cutting the cake in the presence of his supporters who were seen without wearing masks. They celebrated Mr. Dwivedi’s birthday near the Hanuman temple at Kataye Ghat area in Katni on June 12 with fireworks, in brazen violation of norms.
Katni city tehsildar Sandeep Shrivastava told PTI over the phone that permission was not taken for the birthday celebration.
“The fine recovered from Dwivedi has been transferred to Red Cross Society for a social good,” he said, adding that the action was taken against Mr. Dwivedi under section 144 of the CrPC.
When asked why a case was not registered against the BJYM leader as per the law, Mr. Shrivastava said Mr. Dwivedi had accepted his mistake and expressed remorse.
“He assured us that he and his supporters won’t repeat the act,” the tehsildar said.
Katni reported one death due to coronavirus and no fresh cases on June 13. The district has reported 9,359 COVID-19 cases and 110 deaths so far, according to the district administration.
