The wedding ceremony of Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy took place on Friday, amid a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, NDTV reported. Photographs from the event showed a huddle of people, none of whom wore masks or adhered to norms of social distancing.
HD Kumaraswamy, a Janata Dal (Secular) leader, had claimed on Thursday that the wedding will entertain no guests and only “60 to 70 people of the family” would attend the ceremony. According to the Karnataka police, passes for 42 vehicles and 120 people were given for the event.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy, also the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, married Revathi, the grandniece of Congress leader M Krishnappa. The ceremony was held in a farmhouse in Ramanagara district, which is about 28 km from Bengaluru.
Before the countrywide lockdown was announced, HD Kumaraswamy’s family had planned to organise a grand wedding ceremony to be held on a 92-acre plot behind Janapada Loka in the Ramanagara district. HD Kumarswamy said the venue was changed as it would be “difficult to maintain social distancing” if the event was organised at the family’s residence.
In a video message on Thursday, the Janata Dal Secular leader said the wedding had been moved from Bengaluru, a red zone for Covid-19, to Ramanagara, his Assembly constituency. He also appealed to his party workers, relatives, and well-wishers not to visit the venue. “Once the pandemic is over, we will have a grand event where the couple will stand before you for your blessings,” Kumaraswamy said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan warned that action will be taken against Kumaraswamy “without a second thought” if norms of social distancing were not followed at the wedding.
“If this is the way we are handling the issue, it will send a very wrong message,” Narayan told NDTV.
“We need to abide by rules otherwise it will send a wrong signal. Whoever is the violator, definitely we will take action. We need to take action otherwise it will be a mockery of the system.”
Karnataka has reported 315 coronavirus cases, including 13 deaths as of Friday. Meanwhile, India’s patient count rose more than 1,000 to reach 13,387 this morning. The nationwide toll went up to 437, the Ministry of Health’s numbers showed.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!