Indian Cricketer Fined For Driving His Range Rover Evoque In Lockdown

Rishi Dhawan was issued a challan for disobeying the nationwide lockdown in his hometown of Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, earlier this week. The 30-year-old cricketer was driving in his Range Rover Evoque when he was stopped by the cops.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, there has been a complete lockdown in India, with a curfew in effect in few areas. During these sensitive times, it is extremely necessary to stay indoors and prevent the further spread of the virus. Essential services are allowed to continue and many cities allow a certain window of time for people to buy household items. The police have been instructed to ensure that people don’t take to the streets unnecessarily, and are thus issuing fines to people who aren’t following the lockdown restrictions. Multiple checkpoints have been established on roads all over India, and cops are stopping everyone and questioning their purpose for leaving their homes.

Rishi Dhawan was similarly stopped at a checkpoint by a policeman. The window of relaxation for Himachal Pradesh is between 10 AM to 1 PM, between which people are free to avail limited services, albeit with extreme care and caution. Dhawan was on his way to the bank, but did not have a vehicle pass for driving during the lockdown. As such, the officer on duty issued him a challan, which was paid immediately. The cricketer was then let go.

Just last month, more than 2,000 challans were issued in India to vehicle owners driving during the lockdown. Some people have been defiant of the law, using fake IDs or vehicle passes to drive around unhindered. It is extremely necessary for people to use logic and reason in order to combat the pandemic, otherwise, the damage will be catastrophic. Currently, authorities have completely sealed all the identified hotspots of the pandemic in UP and Delhi. As there is no vaccine to protect against it, social distancing is the only effective method to contain the spread of the virus.