Tiranga Yatra: Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh among AAP leaders booked by UP police for violating Covid-19 norms

AGRA: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were among 17 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members and 500 unidentified workers booked by Uttar Pradesh police on Monday for "violating prohibitory orders and pandemic norms", a day after they took out a 'Tiranga Yatra' in Agra.“The FIR shows the dictatorial attitude of the UP government,” Sanjay Singh said, adding that “they have problems only with our Tiranga Yatra.”According to the FIR, permission was given to AAP for taking out a procession of only 50 people, but they allegedly violated section 144 and other Covid norms by exceeding the number.Police have registered a case against 17 AAP members and 500 unidentified persons under IPC sections 188 [disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant], 269 [negligent act likely to spread infection of disease], 270 [malignantly does any act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life] and sections 3,4 of the Epidemic Diseases Act at Lohamandi police station.The AAP members did not follow social distancing norms and were without masks, and they took out the 'Tiranga Yatra' from GIC ground to Shahid Smarak, Hariparvat, stated the FIR filed by sub-inspector Kapil Kumar.Ahead of next year's Uttar Pradesh polls, AAP now plans to hold similar 'Tiranga Yatra' in Lucknow, Noida and Ayodhya.The Rajya Sabha member further said that there was no such violation notified in the PM’s rallies and chief minister’s functions during the pandemic.He added that 15 FIRs have already been registered against him, but these will not deter him or the party from taking out more such "Tiranga yatras".AAP’s coordinator of North assembly constituency in Agra, Kapil Vajpayee, who was also booked by the police said this shows that the BJP is scared of the Opposition.