Section 144 imposed in Srinagar after ‘massive’ spurt in covid-19 cases

The Srinagar administration has banned the assembly of five or more – a measure that may prove ineffective – as the second wave of COVID-19 infections surge in Kashmir valley with record numbers being registered on daily basis.

Ajaz Asad, the district magistrate, said the ban on assembly of five or more people is implemented under section 144 CrPC.

“In view of massive spurt in positive cases in District Sringar & after due deliberations,Section 144 CrPc is imposed hereby within the Municipal limits of the district to contain further spread of the epidemic.”

He added the ban on assembly come into effect immediately.

The move, however, is too late and too little for the ongoing grim situation in the city where more than thousand people tested positive on Tuesday, the worst number since the pandemic began last year.

The ban on the assembly of five or more people has no known scientific basis to contain the infections.

J-K today logged a record high of 3164 fresh cases of coronavirus while 25 persons succumbed in 24 hours.

The administration’s move to ban the assembly comes weeks after it hosted mega tourist events at the city’s Tulip garden and other parks where thousands of people were allowed to gather.

The unscientific behavior of the administration to allow massive gatherings and unchecked arrivals of tourists coincided with the beginning of the pandemic’s second wave in the region.

More than 100 people have succumbed to the disease in Jammu and Kashmir in the last ten days.

KW