Not an April Fool’s prank, two/four wheelers are banned till April 14: Karnataka police

Making it clear the police were taking lockdown violations seriously, the DGP of Karnataka on Wednesday tweeted that the ban on two and four-wheelers until April 14 was not an April Fool’s prank and that offenders would be treated seriously.

“This is not an April Fool's prank. Two/ four wheelers are banned from use till the 14th of April. We will SEIZE your vehicle if you CEASE to ignore this lockdown regulation,” tweeted the official account of the DGP of Karnataka.

Since Monday (March 30), the government had banned movement across the state of two-wheelers and four-wheelers for people. Those who were part of emergency services or who had curfew passes were exempted from the ban.

On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao tweeted that 5,106 two-wheelers had been seized, 181 three-wheelers, and 263 four-wheelers, observing that people had been moving “with the silliest of excuses.”

The tweet attracted criticism as citizens asked how the elderly would be able to go out and buy groceries.

“How will ppl go out to buy essentials? To the bank which is quite a distance? Do you expect ppl to walk 3-4 kms ? How will elderly living alone manage?” tweeted Lavanya Ballal.

One user said online stores had been cancelling their orders.

As of April 1, Karnataka had 105 positive cases, including 3 deaths and 9 discharges, according to the state health department.