World News | 2 Indian-origin Students Fined for Breaching COVID-19 Regulations in Singapore
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Two Indian-origin students were fined on Tuesday for breaching COVID-19 safety measures at a raucous gathering attended by hundreds of people for the New Year's Day celebration in Singapore.
Singapore, Mar 8 (PTI) Two Indian-origin students were fined on Tuesday for breaching COVID-19 safety measures at a raucous gathering attended by hundreds of people for the New Year's Day celebration in Singapore.
Verma Pulkit, 22, who was caught on camera spraying champagne at a large crowd while being without a mask, was fined Singapore dollars 3,000 (USD 2,200) for breaching COVID-19 regulations.
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His friend, Harjaz Singh, who was in the same group of eight friends celebrating a birthday party at Clarke Quay, was fined Singapore dollars 2,000 (USD 1,467), The Straits Times newspaper reported.
The duo pleaded guilty in court, it said.
They gathered with around six others and wanted to celebrate Verma's birthday and usher in the new year at Clarke Quay. They joined a large crowd that had gathered already for the countdown to January 1, the court heard.
The incident, which was captured on video and uploaded on social media, is believed to have involved hundreds in a spontaneous countdown party in front of Riverside Point, the report said.
Videos online show a rowdy crowd cheering, singing and celebrating in what the authorities have branded a blatant flouting of COVID-19 safety management rules and a potential superspreader event.
Deputy Public Prosecutor V Jesudevan said that at around midnight, Verma climbed the parapet of the Read Bridge when someone handed him a bottle of champagne, and he started spraying it at the crowd without wearing a face mask.
The police arrived at the scene shortly after to disperse the crowd. Singh was again unmasked at this time and the revellers' offences were caught on camera.
Singh's lawyer said the group had not planned to congregate with the large crowd and asked the judge for empathy, saying the Indian student lived alone.
"A lower fine of SGD 1,000 would be a more than sufficient lesson for this young man," the lawyer said.
Taking the prosecution's sentencing position, District Judge A Sangeetha said Singh and Verna made a choice to participate in the gathering.
"The COVID-19 measures are mandated to curb the spread of the virus. It is important that they are complied with so as to not negate collective efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19," she said.
At least 10 people were charged in court for their involvement in the large-scale gathering at Clarke Quay that day.
Another alleged attendee, Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna, who is said to have attended the gathering in a Spiderman costume and interacted with about 20 people, will return to the court later this month.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on February 28 that 11 people were issued composition fines of Singapore dollars 1,000 (USD 733) each for breaching safety rules, bringing the total number of people fined in relation to the incident to 15. Those found guilty of breaching COVID-19 regulations can be fined up to Singapore dollars 10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)