A horse race associated with a temple festival at Palakkad district in Kerala on Saturday landed in trouble as police stopped the event and arrested the organisers for flouting Covid-19 norms.
'Thathamangalam Kuthira Vela', a popular bi-yearly event associated with the Vetakarupu Swami Temple at Thathamangalam on the suburbs of Palakkad landed in trouble.
The police registered cases against 25 organisers, 57 riders, and arraigned about 200 spectators. Eight organisers were already arrested. The horses were seized and handed over to their owners.
According to police, permission was denied for the event in view of the Covid-induced restrictions, especially the two-day shutdown in the state on Saturday and Sunday. But the organisers conducted the event flouting the restriction and people gathered in large numbers. Subsequently, the police stopped the event. One horse also reportedly ran amok during the melee.
Meanwhile, the streets of Kerala wore a deserted look on Saturday in view of the two-day shutdown imposed by the state government to contain the Covid spike.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the people to abide by social distancing norms instead of waiting for police instruction. An all-party meeting has been callled on Monday to discuss further measures to contain the Covid-19 surge.
Published 24 April 2021, 15:19 IST