Tipplers facing a long dry phase in view of the COVID-19 lockdown fell prey to an apparent April Fool’s day prank on social media — that liquor outlets would open for a day on Wednesday — and thronged a shop in Karnataka’s Gadag town, only to be driven away later.
People queued up at the shop on Mulagund Road, apparently hoping to purchase some liquor, unaware that it was a prank.
The crowd included women, youth and senior citizens.
While queuing in a disciplined manner, they failed to observe social distancing and stood in close proximity to each other.
Requesting anonymity, a person who saw and shot a video of the incident, said, “The tipplers were speculating that the shop would open on April 1 and a person stood in the queue. Soon, others too started following him. Thus a long queue was formed but to no avail.”
He said those in the queue could be heard cursing the authorities for the lockdown.
Learning of the incident, Gadag police personnel rushed to the spot and asked the people gathered to disperse.
Liquor shops in Karnataka have been shut since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
