Four BJP leaders held for organising football match breaking Covid norms

Kolkata: Police arrested four BJP leaders and workers on charges of organising a football tournament by flouting all lockdown norms at Barasat in North 24-Parganas on Sunday.

The local BJP leaders organised a one-day knockout football tournament at Kamakshya Mandir area of ward number 23 at Barasat in North 24-Paraganas.

The football tournament has been organised when the state government has clearly stated in its guideline on August 31 that restrictions on any sort of congregations including social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural and religious functions will continue even in unlock 4 as well.

The police went to the spot soon after receiving the information and arrested the organisers - who are BJP leaders in the area.

Loudspeakers, sound arrangements and other materials that they had brought to the playground for the tournament were also being seized.

Hundreds of people gathered at the playground to watch the football matches

between members of 11 ward mondals of the party at Barasat. One of the football matches

had already started when police reached the spot.

Those gathered to watch the match fled from the playground, finding the police approaching towards them.

Trinamool Congress leadership has slammed the local BJP leaders stating that they are people with "lack of basic sense" as the tournament was organised despite the area being known as one of the high prevalence zones in the wake of Covid infection.

This comes when more than 4,400 people are suffering from Covid, as per the health bulletin on Saturday, and the district administration is taking all sorts of steps to check the spread of the disease in the district.

The police are maintaining a strict vigil in the area to avert any such incidents till the Covid protocol continues as there is complete restriction on organising such events.