Watch: To Curb COVID-19, India Stays Indoors For ‘Janata Curfew’

The ‘Janta Curfew was followed across the nation. The Quint presents a glimpse at Sunday’s quiet, responsible India.

Chiraiyatand bridge wears a deserted look in Patna in Bihar during the coronavirus pandemic. 

(Photo: PTI)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Sonal Gupta

India is staying indoors – the usually crowded streets of India wore a deserted look on Sunday, 22 March, as citizens adhered to the self-imposed 'Janata Curfew' called for by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shops shut their doors, motorists stayed inside, and police personnel made sure that rule-breakers were schooled about their duty.

From Delhi to Bangalore, Dehradun to Kolkata, the curfew was followed across the nation. The Quint brings to you a glimpse of Sunday's quiet, deserted, responsible India, far from the madding crowd.

Delhi-NCR

The national capital region (NCR) adhered strictly to the curfew, with empty roads and deserted shopping areas. Meanwhile, the DMRC took a day off too, and posted a tongue-in-cheek photo of two metro trains practising social distancing.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi has mounted to 27 including one death, PTI reported.

“We’re taking some rest and social distancing ourselves today. #JantaCurfew,” tweeted the DMRC.

Delhi: Police personnel near Barakhamba Road offer flowers to the locals out on roads, requesting them to stay at home and observe the countrywide curfew.

Deserted roads in Delhi.

West Bengal

Following appeals from politicians and local celebrities, most areas of West Bengal stayed clear and adhered to the curfew. However, images from Kolkata showed people crowding at stations, and not maintaining proper distance as advised by medical practitioners.

Passengers stand in queue to be screened at Howrah station during ‘Janata Curfew’, in Kolkata, on Sunday, 22 March.

Howrah bridge wears a deserted look during ‘Janata Curfew’.

A street dog is seen at a deserted Howrah Station during Janata curfew.

Maharashtra

The worst affected state of India, Maharashtra, strictly stuck to the curfew guidelines. Images of the beaches and the normally jam-packed roads spread on social media. Even tourist spots like Marine Drive were silent and unpopulated.

Mumbai: A deserted view of Worli sea-link.

Empty streets in Nagpur as the day of the Janata Curfew dawned.

A deserted expanse of Mumbai's Marine Drive.

Hyderabad, Bangalore: IT Hubs Stand Deserted

Hyderabad: Workers disinfect an area near the historic Charminar during Janata curfew.

An empty road in Bangalore.

Marathahalli bridge, Bangalore.

Heavy Police Presence in Jammu and Kashmir

Security personnel stand guard during Janata curfew in Srinagar.

Security personnel wearing protective face mask stand guard on a deserted city street in Jammu.

UP, Bihar and North India

Urged by politicians, such as UP's CM Yogi Adityanath, most of North India stayed indoors to mark the ‘Janta Curfew’. Pictures emerged of deserted streets, as well of of some good samaritans taking the day as an opportunity to help police officials,

Chiraiyatand Bridge in Patna wears a deserted look.

Rakesh Chaudhary, a local in Patna, observed ‘Janta Curfew’ by distributing hand sanitiser to police and traffic police personnel, saying, “The entire country is fighting against coronavirus. This is my way to fight it.”

“Empty road near the Imam Bara and the Rumi Darwaza, among Lucknow ‘s most popular tourist destinations,” wrote Alok Pandey on Twitter.

A deserted row of shops in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Empty Beaches

Fishermen deserted their boats, and tourists abandoned their travels, as beaches from Gujarat to Kerala lay deserted.

Shangumugham Beach, Trivandrum, was deserted.

Koliyak Beach, Gujarat,: empty and devoid of tourists.

The Northeast

The ‘Janta Curfew’ was in full force in the northeastern states of India. Empty roads, quiet streets and shut shops dominated the images on social media.

An empty street in Agartala.

Imphal, Manipur, looked completely deserted.