Bhavnagar BJP workers defy Covid rules for Shiyal’s political appointment

Rajkot: Navratri came in tad too early for the Bhavnagar BJP workers who used the ruse of celebrating the appointment of Bhavnagar MP Bharti Shiyal as a national vice president to throw Covid caution to the air by performing garba, lighting and lighting fire crackers on the public road.
Videos and pictures of the atmosphere of merriment defied all sorts of Covid-19 moratoriums that the state government has put in place.
Masks at half mast, sweet-gobbling party workers playing impromptu garba also included Bhavnagar mayor Manhar Mori and deputy mayor Ashok Bariaya. The celebrations lasted over than two hours but cops were conspicuous by their complete absence in the chaotic scene that took place outside the BJP office in Bhavnagar.
Incidentally, this area falls in the silence zone owing to its proximity to government-run Sir T Hospital located just 200 m away where Covid patients from Bhavanagar, Botad and Amreli are getting treated.
When contacted, Shiyal told TOI over phone from Delhi, “I believe that the workers celebrated my appointment by following all the rules inside the party office. It’s possible that in overenthusiasm they may have mistakenly violated norms.”
District collector Gaurang Makwana said, “We did not receive any complaint, but we will look into it and take action if we find any violation of the notification. As per new guidelines, 100 people can gather for a function without prior approval.”