SWABI: The district administration has sealed a wedding hall for allowing a musical show by the transgender persons on Monday night in violation of the standard operating procedures announced by the government to stem the spread of Covid-19.

The transgender persons had organised the musical show to celebrate birthday of one of their colleagues.

Transgender individuals from all over Swabi district were participating in the show.

Assistance commissioner, Swabi, Uzma Mukaram said she tried her best to make the participants to leave the venue in view of the surge in coronavirus cases as they did not observe the precautions against Covid-19, but they refused.

Event was held to celebrate birthday of a transgender person

Deputy commissioner Shahid Mehmood told Dawn on contact that transgender individuals and other participants of the show resisted the assistant commissioner’s efforts to end the function and leave the hall.

He said as a small number of police personnel accompanying the AC were not in a position to disperse the crowd, so additional personnel were sent there who managed to force the participants to leave the hall. “The marriage hall has been sealed over violation of the SOPs by the management,” the deputy commissioner said.

Meanwhile, gunfire was also reported from the hall. However, the police and the participants blamed each other for the firing.

SHO Swabi city police Ajab Durrani claimed when the participants were leaving the hall some people fired gunshots. He rejected the claim that gunshots were fired by the police.

The transgender persons asked the police and the district administration not to disrupt their functions as this was the only source of their living.

DROWNS: A member of the Tableeghi Jamaat from Punjab drowned in the Indus River on Tuesday, the police said.

Chota Lahor police SHO Altaf Khan told Dawn that the Jamaat members were crossing the river on their way to Hazro village after conducting a preaching session in Hund village of Chota Lahor on Tuesday morning when one of them drowned. Some colleagues of the deceased recovered the body. Later, it was dispatched to Punjab.

Also in the day, majority of the areas in the district remained without electricity supply due to rain and thunderstorm. Pesco officials said work on restoration of power supply was underway.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2021