895 people arrested in the city for lockdown violation

Kolkata, April 13 () Kolkata Police arrested 895people in a span of 24 hours since 5 pm of Sunday for defyingthe lockdown order imposed by the government in its attempt tocontain the spread of COVID-19, a senior police officersaid.

The arrests were made by the Kolkata Police duringnaka-checking and patrolling across the metropolis, theofficer said on Monday.

The 895 people were arrested from various parts of thecity.

Requesting people to strictly adhere to the lockdownorder, Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma had earlierdirected officers to take strong legal action against thosefound violating the norms.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday urgedthe state government to pay heed to the Centre's warningsagainst "gradual dilution" of lockdown, and said officialsshould be held accountable for their lapses, if any.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had last week flaggedconcerns over "gradual dilution" of the shutdown order in WestBengal, and asked the state to take necessary action to ensurestrict adherence of social distancing norms, following reportsof alleged violation in Murshidabad and Siliguri.

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in thestate so far stood at 122 on Sunday, the state governmentsaid, even though the Union health ministry on Monday has putthe figure at 152. PNTRG RG