Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, got married to Revathi, grandniece of former Housing Minister M Krishnappa on Friday morning at the family farm house in Ramanagara. Although the wedding was a ‘low-key’ affair in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing norms were not followed despite Kumaraswamy’s assurances.
At a time when movement on roads has been curtailed across the country due to the lockdown, 48 cars carrying around 100 people were allowed to move on Friday so the guests could attend Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s wedding in Ramanagara district. Special permission was obtained from the state government on March 22, to hold a “low-key” wedding ceremony.
Dressed in white, Nikhil and Revathi tied the knot between 9.20am and 9.50 am as the mahurat was set for this particular period.
Kumaraswamy had on Thursday proclaimed that doctors and medical staff would screen incoming guests. A medical team was also on standby. Although those close to Kumaraswamy claimed that he had insisted on his guests wearing masks and gloves, none of them appeared to follow this rule, including the former CM himself and his family. A video of guests crowding around Nikhil, seated in a chair is proof of the lack of social distancing at the “low-key” affair.
Revathi is the grandniece of former Congress Minister for Housing, M Krishnappa. JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, his wife Channamma, Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha, his daughter HD Anasuya and her husband, the director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Dr CN Manjunath, Kumaraswamy’s brothers HD Revanna, Balakrishna, Ramesh, his sister Shailaja and their families were also present at the wedding.
Here comes more footage from Kumaraswamy's son's wedding. The Gowda family claims all precautions, including social distancing, were followed. Of course! pic.twitter.com/UPjbACatzG
— Arun Dev (@ArunDev1) April 17, 2020
“There were around 40 people from the bride’s family. Totally around 100 people were there,” Sadanand, media manager to HD Kumaraswamy said.
The wedding was initially to be held in Janapadaloka in Ramanagara district and Kumaraswamy had planned to invite around 5 lakh guests and provide food for the entire Ramanagara district. However, these plans were shelved due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
In late March, the families had decided to hold the wedding ceremony at Revathi’s residence in Bengaluru. However, these plans were also changed as Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda wanted the wedding to be held in Ramanagara, the party’s political stronghold. “That is one of the reasons why they decided to shift the venue to the farm house,” a JD(S) leader said.
Apart from a screening booth, a disinfectant tunnel was set up at the farm house for guests who were entering the venue.
On March 5, three days before the first COVID-19 case was reported in Karnataka, the state's Minister of Health and Family Welfare B Sriramulu organised a grand wedding at Bengaluru's Palace Grounds. Thousands of people attended the wedding ceremony.