Police officials across the country are working 24/7 to keep an eye on 1.3 billion Indians to make sure they stay indoors to protect themselves from the contagious coronavirus, officially dubbed COVID-19.
Since the lockdown was announced on 24 March, police personnel have been keeping a close eye on violators. Here are some of the most recent viral videos of cops using creative ways to punish lockdown violators in India.
An elderly man in India's Uttar Pradesh was made to sit and walk as a punishment for stepping out of his house amid the strict lockdown in Kanpur.
In a video of the incident, the man can be seen carrying flowers for paying obeisance in a temple. He is confronted by the cops who spill the water being carried as offering to the deity. The man is then punished and made to sit and walk for violating lockdown norms.
कानपुर में लॉकडाउन के पालन के नाम पर पनकी SO विनोद सिंह की हरकत ।
— Anil Tiwari (@Interceptors) April 29, 2020
पूजा करने जा रहे व्यक्ति के साथ अभद्रता, पूजापात्र में जल उड़ेला pic.twitter.com/e1Fbgc6QhU
In another video, Karnataka police were seen mercilessly baton charging lockdown violators in Kalaburagi. The city was part of a “containment zone” after cases were reported there. However, officials stated that they are leaving no stone unturned to punish people stepping out for fun.
#WATCH Karnataka: Police resorts to lathi charge on people who were found violating the #COVID19 lockdown in Kalaburagi. Section 144 of CrPc has been extended till 7th May 2020 in the district, today. pic.twitter.com/M07PrWXhNm
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2020
Another innovative punishment idea was recorded from Pune in the state of Maharashtra, where the cops made a boy eat a dozen bananas because he had stepped out. Maharashtra is the nation's hardest hit state, where around 10,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported so far.
सतत आवाहन करूनही छोट्या छोट्या कारणांसाठी घराबाहेर पडणाऱ्यांना पुणे पोलिसांनी काय शिक्षा दिली बघा.... पोलिसांनी चौकशी केल्यानंतर नाष्ट्यासाठी खारी आणायला जात असल्याचं
— News18Lokmat (@News18lokmat) April 28, 2020
या तरुणाने सांगितलं आणि पोलिसांनी त्याच्या नाश्त्याची सोय कशी केली पाहा VIDEO #PuneFightsCovid19 pic.twitter.com/tvXVa8uGi5
The Maharashtra police also made a few violators perform yoga on the road. In a video going viral on social media, the cops can be seen instructing the law breakers to perform exercises.
#WATCH Maharashtra: Police made people, who violated lockdown for a morning walk, perform yoga in Bibvewadi area of Pune, early morning today. #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/m5ooX6ixaN
— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
According to state police, several hundred violators are booked on a daily basis, yet people continue to leave their homes.
“We have made many requests to the public to stay indoors, which is for their own safety not ours. We are outside on the roads working for the safety of the country at this pandemic", said a senior police officer from the Uttar Pradesh police.
According to the Indian Health Ministry, there are 33,050 positive cases of COVID-19 across the country and 1,074 people have died due to the virus.
