Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat booked for violating COVID-19 guidelines
Haridwar: A case has been registered against former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, three Congress legislators and 150 others for allegedly violating coronavirus guidelines and holding a protest in Haridwar district, police said on Monday (August 17, 2020).
Rawat led a bullock cart rally from Dhandera to Landhaura near Roorkee on Independence Day to raise the issue of dilapidated condition of roads, especially NH-58 that links Uttarakhand with Delhi.
He was accompanied by Bhagwanpur MLA Mamta Rakesh, Manglaur MLA Qazi Nizamuddin and Kaliyar MLA Furkan Ahmad.
A large number of people had gathered for the rally violating social distancing norms and COVID-19 guidelines, Senior Superintendent of Police Senthil Avudai Krishna Raj said.
They have been booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant) and 150 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, and also the Disaster Management Act, the SSP said.
In Dehradun, BJP state president Bansidhar Bhagat criticised the former chief minister for "risking the lives of people just to grab the attention of the media".
