After video of Odisha wedding goes viral, groom's dad arrested, fined for violating COVID-19 rules

Bhubaneswar: The father of a groom and his brother were arrested on Saturday in Odisha’s Ganjam district, a COVID-19 hotspot, for violating safety protocols during the marriage function, police said. The district administration has also imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 and registered FIR against other family members of the groom and bride in this connection, they said. “On the charge of violation of COVID-19 rules for marriage in Berhampur, Rs 50,000 fine was collected and FIR filed against both the parties,” Ganjam Collector V A Kulange said. “Our joy should not ruin others’’ lives,” he said. The groom’s father and his brother have been held, SP (Berhampur) Pinak Mishra said. The incident came to the fore after a video surfaced, in which guests were seen without masks and dancing close to each other at the marriage procession, and many holding hands. According to the state government’s COVID-19 guidelines, a maximum of 50 people can participate in a marriage function, while strictly adhering to social distancing norms and wearing masks Kulange said attendees of the marriage procession will be sent to institutional quarantine. Sources said a well-known hotelier in the town had obtained permission from the authorities for his son’s marriage at a hotel at Gopalpur-on-Sea on 2 July. The hotel has reportedly been sealed for seven days, they said. As part of containment measures, the Ganjam district administration has also prohibited the movement of people from rural areas to towns. The district has reported 2,066 COVID-19 cases so far, and it also tops the list of fatalities with 20 people succumbing to the disease. Odisha’’s coronavirus death toll stands at 34. According to an official notification, two IAS officers – Parul Patawari and Vishal Singh – have been appointed as special ADMs (in-charge) for COVID-19 management in Chhatrapur and Bhanjanagar sub-divisions in the district.