New Year celebrations peaceful

New Year’s eve celebrations in the city, often marred by harassment of women, drunken driving, accidents and sometimes even brawls, went off peacefully without any incident on Thursday night, said the city police. Prohibitory orders were clamped in the city from Thursday noon to avoid crowding in the light of the pandemic, and police presence on the streets through the night, ensured “an incident-free” New Year’s eve.

Apart from police personnel making their presence felt on the streets, several of them were in mufti at noted party joints and pubs to crack down on any gathering. However, in most cases, the police guidelines were followed and there was no occasion for any police action, sources said.

“There was not a single untoward incident reported in the city. There was also no crowding. Most celebrations were indoors, where large crowds were not allowed. Such severe restrictions were necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.