Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday, 15 March, attended a wedding ceremony of the daughter of BJP MLC Mahantesh Kavatagimath in Belagavi, defying his own government's directive banning large gathering, including lavish weddings, The Hindu reported.
Last week, the state government ordered the shutting down of malls, cinema halls, schools, colleges, pubs, among other large gatherings across the state for a week starting Sunday. The directive was issued after Karnataka reported the country’s first fatality due to the novel coronavirus.
Despite issuing an order to postpone weddings till the coronavirus outbreak subsides, or to restrict the number of guests to around 100, the chief minister was seen at the wedding which was attended by many more number of visitors.
The wedding which was held on the lawns of Shagun gardens in the Udyambag industrial area in Belagavi, had a crowd estimated to be over 3,000, The Hindu reported , quoting a police officer on duty at the venue.
The venue was decorated with flowers, huge banners, with hundreds of cars parked on both sides of the Khanaourt road, according to The Hindu.
The ceremony was also attended by several leaders from the BJP, the Congress and the JD(S), along with officers from the corporation and district administration.
Yediyurappa arrived around 11 am and stayed for nearly an hour at the venue.
Last week, Yediyurappa held an emergency meeting with his cabinet colleagues to discuss precautionary measures taken to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The
The chief minister said that the government has decided to ban mass gathering and asked people to stay at home. The government also advised people against organising big events including wedding ceremonies.
“If you have already planned an event like marriage, restrict the number of attendees to 100,” the CM said.
The government has also advised IT companies to ask their employees to work from home.
(With inputs from The Hindu.)
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