Coronavirus Outbreak: Congress MLA in Puducherry booked under Disaster Management Act for alleged violation of lockdown

Puducherry: A ruling Congress legislator in Puducherry has been booked for allegedly violating lockdown rules and distributing dole to people at a village, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said on Thursday. In a WhatsApp message to media persons, she said an FIR had been registered against Congress MLA A John Kumar and more than 200 people for allegedly distributing doles to people outside his house in the neighboring Nellithope on Wednesday. The Orleanpet police also confirmed the booking of the case against the MLA and others for allegedly violating the lockdown rules. _**Click here to follow LIVE updates on Coronavirus Outbreak**_ She said police had booked the legislator and the others under Disaster Management Act “for his highly irresponsible conduct of hosting and allowing over 200 people to collect outside his house and distributing doles personally.” [caption id=“attachment_8153961” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] The union territory is under lockdown as part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus. The Lt Governor said “this was while lay people were being booked for curfew violations and being announced in the media. He is a serving MLA of the ruling party. A criminal case has been registered against him for blatant violations of law despite mass information and media messages instead of following the law he chose to violate it.” She also posted a copy of the FIR the Orleanpet police had filed against Kumar and the others. The legislator had allegedly distributed vegetables in bags to the people and a team of policemen who were on routine rounds had information about the distribution of vegetables. Cases had been registered under sections 269 and 188 IPC and also under the Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act. The MLA is a close confidante of Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.