Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while announcing fresh restrictions on January 7 amid the rise in cases of COVID-19 said that the feast that is organized on 'Uruka' at Magh Bihu should be winded up at 10 pm. "No one will be allowed to stay overnight at Bhelaghars or Meji on Uruka. Everyone should finish up the feast by 10 pm and can come at the early morning the next day to burn the mejis, which is a traditional ritual during Magh Bihu," said CM Sarma.
He also asked the Bihu committees across the state to obtain prior permission for the programmes and wind them up by 10 pm which the Bihu committees opposed. The Bihu committees demanded that the curfew timings for the day should be relaxed by two hours, i.e. from 12 am to 5 am in Guwahati as well as in other parts of the state.
It may be mentioned that the state government had relaxed the curfew on December 31 for the New Year party. The question now aroused that if the state government can relax the curfew on New Year Eve, why can't they relax the curfew timing on Magh Bihu which is the regional festival of the state.