Manipur police continue to detain people who venture out without valid reasons, defying the repeated appeals of the police and the government to stay home during the lockdown to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Many people are still venturing out on the streets either on two-wheelers or four-wheelers for one or other reason.
The police are finding it hard to convince people not to venture out of their homes.
They are dispersing people gathering around mobile street vendors to buy vegetables and are stopping vehicles to inquire whether they belong to the essential services category and the reasons for their moving out. If the answers are not convincing enough, the police detain them and produce them before the magistrate concerned, who impose fines.
In Imphal West district, 2,223 people had been detained since the last week of March till Friday for violating the lockdown while 1,966 vehicles were detained. The violators were produced before the magistrate and released after being fined. So far, a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh has been collected in the district.
In Thoubal district, the police had detained 3,701 lockdown violators till Saturday. The number of vehicles detained was 1,945 and the amount of fine imposed was Rs 2.62 lakh.
Additional director-general of police (law and order) L. Kailun said in a release on Saturday that the police would continue to crackdown on the violators
Kailun appealed to the people to wear face masks in public and follow the guidelines issued by the government and stay indoors for their own safety and safety of the public.
“The police department will take strong legal action against those who violate the lockdown and those who do not wear face masks,” he said.
Second test negative
Manipur’s second Covid-19 positive patient, who has been undergoing treatment at the RIMS here, tested negative on Saturday.
The tests conducted at two different laboratories, Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories of RIMS and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here, were negative.
He will be tested again within 24 hours and if the result is still negative, he will be discharged from the hospital soon.
