Sylhet Correspondent: Dhaka, Jul-24,

Mobile courts in Sylhet collected Tk 15,400 as fines from individuals and businesses that violated lockdown restrictions yesterday, the very first day of stringent restrictions resuming after Eid.

Besides, 46 vehicles were sued, while 92 were outright seized on the day.

Law enforcers were tough on those violating curbs during the previous segment of the stringent lockdown.

Five mobile courts were active in the city throughout Friday, demonstrating there would be no room for taking things easy even to start with.

Army personnel was seen patrolling Sylhet city alongside police, RAB, and BGB.

Additional Deputy Commissioner(Media) of  Sylhet Police BAM Ashraf Ullah Taher confirmed the day's numbers at the start to the media. 
 
The features that differentiate the July 2021 lockdown in Bangladesh from any previous lockdown or restrictive protocol during the pandemic can broadly be identified in three streams:

i) Law-enforcement agencies were given the authority to perform mass arrests of the public if need be, of citizens found in breach of lockdown rules. Agencies have in turn shown their willingness to use it. Even on resumption day (Friday), over 400 such arrests were reported.

 ii) Larger deployments of the security and law enforcement agencies, including Army and BGB battalions.

iii) Mobile courts jointly operated between agencies and local administrations working far more proactively to nab and even track/hunt down offenders, coupled with more aggressive use of their fining authority.

The lockdown restrictions came into force at 8 am today and will continue till August 5 midnight, unless extended again as announced by the government on Thursday, upping its guard against the devastating Delta variant of Covid-19.