Congress leader Manish Upadhyaya got into a heated argument with a local police official after being stopped for moving around without a face mask (screenshot)
A Congress leader in Varanasi got into a heated argument with a cop on Monday, after he was stopped at a checkpoint for not wearing a mask while in a public space. In a video of the incident, local unit leader of the party, Manish Upadhyaya, can be seen arguing with the police official, after being questioned as to why he didn't have a mask on.
The Congress leader then went on to angrily question the cop if wearing a face mask was mandatory under the law. "How can you stop me? You are not even an SSP (Senior Superintendent Of Police). There are several IAS and IPS officials in my extended family," Upadhyaya told the cop.
The policeman finally penalised the Congress leader for riding a two-wheeler without a helmet, amounting to a fine of Rs 2,000. The official also registered a case under Section 11 of the Disaster Management Act, the same law invoked by the Centre to enforce the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus in local communities.
Notably, Uttar Pradesh is among the handful of states which made face masks mandatory in public spaces earlier this month.
The state has recorded 1,176 coronavirus infections till date, a figure that includes 17 persons who have succumbed to the virus.
(Reported by Ashwani in Varanasi)
