A PIL has been filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking a stay on the Bhongarya Haat, a tribal festival starting in Barwani District from March 22.
The PIL has been filed by the state president of Tribal Integration Council and general secretary of Tribal Liberation Organization, Gajanand Brahmane.
The PIL says Barwani district borders the state of Maharashtra. Due to coronavirus spreading in Maharashtra, the state government has closed border areas including Shirpur, Nandurbar, Dhulia and others.
The return phase of the people of tribal society, who migrated to Maharashtra and Gujarat for their livelihood, are coming back home to celebrate the Bhongarya Haat festival. Some 4-5 lakh people participate in the festival and since the number of Covid-19 patients is increasing rapidly in Maharashtra, there is a possibility of spreading the virus because of the Bhongarya Haat, alleged the petitioner.
Brahmane pointed out that on March 2, for the prevention of Covid-19, he had made a written application to the collector of Barwani District demanding a stay on Bhongarya Haat. The collector had issued restrictive orders on March 6, but the next day, under the pressure of someone, the orders were revoked.
The petitioner has also stated in the petition that he has sent a letter to commissioner Indore demanding a ban on Bhongarya Haat in tribal-dominated districts of Dhar, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Barwani and Khargone.
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