Punjab Chief Secretary (CS) Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan has advised police to initially use punishments like making citizens walk back home instead of arresting them for violating Section 144, to sensitise them regarding social distancing, a well-placed source disclosed.
The decision was taken on Thursday at a meeting jointly chaired by Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat and Chief Secretary Azam Suleman Khan to review the situation with regard to COVID-19 and the administrative affairs of the province. It was observed that penalising people for defying lockdown, under an order issued on March 23 that limits the movement of people in Punjab to contain the novel coronavirus spread and imposes other restrictions, was creating a negative impression among people.
Registration of first information reports (FIRs) should be the last resort. Before that police should convince violators to stay at home and if needed punish them by making them walk all the way back to their homes