Cinema halls to reopen Oct 15 onwards with 50% capacity, one-seat distance: Prakash Javadekar
New Delhi: After seven months of shut down due to COVID-19, cinema halls will reopen on October 15 with 50 per cent capacity and one-seat distance between the viewers, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said Tuesday.
"Cinema halls are shut for last seven months. They are now opening from October 15. For safety of people, we have come out with SOP to be followed," Javadekar said.
"Cinema halls shall be allowed to open with 50 per cent capacity only and people will maintain one-seat distance. Wearing masks at all times will be important," he added.
Briefing the press at his residence, the Union minister also said that online booking of tickets will be encouraged but box office will be open for single-screen theatres.
"In single screen theatres, ticket counters will be opened. However, we encourage online booking for contact-less transactions. Proper ventilation has to be ensured and temperature setting of all air conditioning should be above 23 degree Celsius," he said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had in its unlock guidelines issued on September 30 allowed reopening of cinema halls from October 15.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
