In view of the rising cases of coronavirus cases in Bhubaneswar and frequent violation of the lockdown guidelines, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday banned rallies by political parties or any other organisations in the city.
The BMC also asked the concerned police stations to take immediate appropriate legal action to stop demonstrations and rallies.
The BMC also cited some recent instances when some organisations and political parties participated in demonstration before various public offices and in public places on different issues. “In the last two to three days, about five such demonstrations have been noticed, for which complaints have been lodged by BMC with the respective police stations for legal action. Such congregations are expressly prohibited as per national directives issued by the (Union) Ministry of Home Affairs. Further, these activities have also been prohibited as per Clauses 4(a)(iv) and 8(e) of recently-issued Odisha Govt guidelines,” the order said.
However, Samajwadi Party State president Rabi Behera termed the ban on rallies and demonstrations undemocratic as it violates the Constitutional rights. Hence, the order must be withdrawn immediately, he demanded. All democratic opposition parties should be united to protest the BMC’s decision, said Behera.