Chittoor police ban religious public gatherings in rural areas

With Chittoor district logging a document 2,764 COVID-19 instances and 54 deaths in the 24 hours ending Friday morning, the district police instructed its personnel in the Madanapalle, Palamaner, Chittoor, Puttur and Sri City sub-divisions to ban public gatherings for festivities similar to ‘jatara’, or ‘harikatha’ and ‘burrakatha’ in the rural areas.

Hectic exercise is usually witnessed in the rural hinterland throughout May as villagers collect to rejoice native festivals.

Such celebrations had been performed away with following the lockdown imposed after the pandemic first broke out in 2020.

However, with solely partial lockdown imposed now, situations of individuals gathering to rejoice festivals are being reported at a number of locations.

Addressing the media, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) N. Sudhakar Reddy stated that surveillance groups have been constituted to disallow celebration of village festivities.

‘Celebrate in ekantham’

“People are advised to celebrate the festivals and make their offerings to the village deities at their households only. We have banned the celebration of Ganga jatara in Chittoor and elsewhere in the district as a public event this year too. The organisers have been asked to celebrate them in ‘ekantham’ and avoid public congregations,” Mr. Sudhakar Reddy stated.

“Organising street and stage plays and recital of ‘harikatha’ and ‘burrakatha’ is also prohibited with immediate effect. Those who violate the orders will be booked under IPC sections in view of public safety,” Mr Sudhakar Reddy stated.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar requested the police personnel in all of the sub-divisions, significantly in the rural areas, to propagate amongst individuals the necessity to use face masks and cling to the protocols.