Mumbai: Despite a ban on organising religious programmes, a village Nandani in Solapur district organised an annual yatra (religious congregation) secretly. The yatra was attended by many people without wearing masks or observing social distance.

All went well but an enthusiast youth recorded this video and sent to his friends to impress them which finally resulted in action by police on the villagers.

Nandani, a village 20 km away from Solapur, organise Yatra of Nagamma Devi every year on Akshaya Tritiya. As there is a complete ban on all religious programmes due to the coronavirus pandemic, this village too has decided to cancel the yatra.

But a social worker in this village convinced villagers to organise this yatra only for the residents of the village. “We will not tell any other people so that devotees from other places, villages will not attend,” he told the villagers to which they agreed.