Violating Covid norms: 37 held, 7 sent to police custody for partying at top city hotel

KOLKATA: Police arrested 37 people, for holding a party defying Covid protocols, late on Saturday night from a city hotel. Cops have seized 38 mobile phones, two luxurious cars, DJ discs, one amplifier, two sound boxes, one DJ light, three hookahs, four liquor bottles, four empty glasses, a pouch containing ganja, and two sets of guests list during a raid conducted at the Park Hotel on Park Street.

During the raid, some of the arrested persons allegedly manhandled a few cops and tried to obstruct police from discharging their duties.

All the accused persons were produced before the Bankshall court on Sunday and seven of them were remanded to police custody till July 16 whereas two persons were remanded to judicial custody. The other 28 people were granted bail. While checking the CCTV footage of the hotel, cops found that such parties were being organised for the past few weeks, violating the Covid protocols. According to sources, late on Saturday night cops from the Park Street police station and Anti Rowdy Squad of Detective Department led by three senior Kolkata Police officials conducted the raid at the hotel on Park Street and found a party was going on at the lounge on the third and fourth floor.

Cops immediately stopped the party and asked for a clarification. As soon as the police started detaining the guests of the party and seizing the Dj equipments, a few of the accused persons started pushing the cops and using abusive language. Later, cops overpowered them and arrested the guests. During the search, police found ganja, and liquor bottles along with hookahs from the lounge.

Police have accused the hotel authority for violating the covid protocols under the Disaster Management Act. A senior official of the Kolkata Police stated that the hotel authority would be summoned soon for a clarification about on what basis they were arranging parties despite the state government not allowing any movement of people between 9 pm and 5 am. Any gathering except marriage and funeral are strictly prohibited owing to the pandemic situation.