UP man holds son's b'day party amid lockdown, booked

Hosting a birthday party for his 10-year-old son proved costly for a trader as he was booked for violating the nationwide lockdown, police said on Friday.

The accused organised the party at the housing complex in Gorakhpur on Thursday despite opposition from some residents of the locality, sources said.

The Gorakhpur police booked him and some unidentified persons after a video clip of the event was posted on the social media.

The clip showed a gathering of about 50-60 persons and a number of food stalls put up at the party venue.

Cantonment Police Station Circle Officer Sumit Shukla said: "The viral video clip of the birthday party was examined and found genuine, following which the FIR was registered against the trader and others for defying the lockdown."

He said that the trader had hired a caterer to prepare and serve food at the party. Though most residents of the locality stayed away, about 60 of them attended the event.

All of them were booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act, and Sections 188 (disobedience of order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligence leading to spread of infectious diseases) of the IPC, the police said.