To ensure that the bypoll campaigns in Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly constituency do not become super-spreaders of COVID-19, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has deployed additional marshals in the nine wards that come under it.
While they had one marshal each earlier, now four additional marshals have been deployed for mask operations, apart from eight mobile squad marshals. They will be deployed for the remainder of the campaign period.
The number of cases filed by marshals against citizens for not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing has, on average, been over 2,500 a month in R.R. Nagar zone.
Col. Rajbir Singh (retd), the BBMP’s chief marshal officer, said that the additional marshals deployed in the wards had started making announcements on loudspeakers, especially near locations where campaigns and public rallies were being taken out.
On Friday, complaints were filed against both the Congress and the BJP for not following COVID-19 norms whilst campaigning. While an FIR was registered against J.S. Girish and other BJP agents by the Yeshwantpur police, the Jalahalli police registered a case against Congress party workers. In both cases, the complaint cited violation of COVID-19 norms, as more than 50 people had participated in the road show for which permission had been granted.
