A businessman in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur city has been booked for hosting a birthday party for his son amid the nationwide lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19, PTI reported on Friday. More than 50 guests attended the party held inside a residential complex in Betiahata locality on Wednesday night.

Photos from the party on social media show guests standing close together, defying social distancing norms crucial to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The guests were seen eating from stalls set up outside the man’s apartment in an upscale locality.

“The viral video of the birthday party was examined and found true, following which the FIR was registered against the trader and other unidentified persons for defying the lockdown,” Cantonment Police Station Circle Officer Sumit Shukla said.

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Residents of the complex had opposed the idea of hosting a party but the man went ahead with the plan. “Despite opposition, he [the man] arranged for a cook to prepare meals for the party and requested all to attend the event,” a resident told PTI. “But most of the residents stayed away. Of the around 500 people in residential complex, about 60 attended the event.”

The police said that the man and other unidentified people have been booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act, and sections 188 (disobedience of order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligence leading to spread of infectious diseases) of the Indian Penal Code.

Social distancing and adherence to lockdown measures are crucial to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus, especially in densely-populated countries like India. All social gatherings are currently banned in India.

Uttar Pradesh has more than 800 cases of the coronavirus, including 13 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. India’s tally of Covid-19 cases has risen to 13,387 as of Friday morning. Across the country, 437 people have died so far of Covid-19.