In Maha village, donkey parade for violating lockdown

In a move aimed at discouraging people from venturing out to curb the spread of coronavirus, a village in Maharashtra has come up with an unusual punishment -- a donkey parade for those found repeatedly stepping out of their homes for no valid reason.

The grampanchayat of Takali village in Kej tehsil of Beed district took this decision on March 29.

"The idea is to discourage people from venturing out on streets, which is against the state advisory. The first time offender will be fined Rs 500, but if the same offence is repeated thrice, that person will be made to sit on a donkey and a procession will be taken out," the official announcement made by the grampanchayat said.

"People should stay at home and cooperate," it further said.

Village sarpanch Vishnu Ghule said, "If anyone is found wandering on the village streets without a valid reason, that person will have to cough up Rs 500 as penalty. But if the same person is found doing so for the fourth time, he will be paraded on a donkey."

"The grampanchayat and villagers took this decision unanimously," he added.