Cops book 500 in Rourkela for taking out procession in violation of COVID-19 guidelines

Rourkela: Rourkela police Thursday registered a case against 500 people from Rourkela Railway Colony near Nala Road in Sundargarh district for breaking COVID-19 guidelines.

According to sources, more than 500 people took out a procession June 8 carrying a body at Nala Road in the city defying the COVID-19 guidelines.

The incident came to light after a video of the procession went viral on social media.

The procession was taken out after a young boy was killed in a group clash due to old rivalry. It was observed that the people carrying the body of the deceased marched on the road in the area at night while police stood as silent spectators.

The crowd could be seen shouting slogans while violating mask usage and social distancing norms.

It may be mentioned here that this is the second time that the area has witnessed gross violation of COVID-19 restrictions.

Residents of this area were in news few days back for pelting stones at health officials who had gone there for contact tracing after a person tested positive for COVID-19 in the area.