A police officer in Ambedkar Nagar district was suspended and a case lodged against him on charges of leading a cavalcade of vehicles during his farewell procession on being transferred to another location.
The display of flamboyance by the SHO had violated the “social distancing rules” laid down by the government, said Ambedkar Nagar SP Alok Priyadarshi.
The matter came to light after a video of the cavalcade passing through a narrow road in what appeared to be a rural setting was widely shared on social media. In the clip, half-a-dozen motorbikes carrying policemen, none of them wearing masks and many riding pillion, lead the way for an open-air black jeep on which three constables, also without masks, are standing in close proximity. Behind this jeep is a white jeep decorated with flowers, followed by siren-blazing police escort vehicles and 112 dial emergency jeeps.
Taking cognizance of the incident, Mr. Priyadarshi said SHO of Baskhari Manoj Singh was leading the cavalcade after his farewell and was on the way to taking charge of a new police station.
“He did not follow rules of social distancing. He has been suspended and those police personnel with him have been sent to the [police] lines,” the SP said. A case would also be lodged under relevant clauses for violation of social distancing, he said.
A detailed probe would be carried out by an Additional SP.
