Haridwar: Thousands of devotees, some of them without masks, gathered by the river Ganges in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar on April 11 in densely packed crowds for prayers during the Kumbh Mela – one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
A day ahead of the Shahi Snan – considered to be an auspicious day to take holy dip in the river – more than one lakh devotees were seen on the banks of the river, in clear violation of the COVID-19 rules issued by the Health Ministry. Many devotees have been claiming that COVID-19 is not a major concern anymore since the state government has made a negative RT-PCR result mandatory for those visiting Haridwar.
Along with devotees, scores of seers representing 13 Akhadas will also be taking dip in the Ganges on April 12.
Held every 12 years, this year’s Kumbh Mela is taking place in extraordinary circumstances, at a time when the second wave of the pandemic has gripped the country with over 1.5 lakh COVID-19 cases being reported in the last 24 hours.
Even as warnings against violation of COVID-19 rules have been installed at almost all the ghats and experts have urged general public to avoid large gathering and maintain social distancing to avoid further spread of the coronavirus, several devotees say it is practically impossible to adhere by these guidelines during the pilgrimage.
386 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours in Haridwar. There are 2056 active COVID-19 cases in the city. It has witnessed a 100 per cent jump in both the daily and active cases in just a week’s time. On April 4, the city recorded 173 cases while the active cases stood at 837.
Meanwhile, several traffic diversions have been made across the city and separate timings have been allotted to all 13 Sadhu Akhadas, during which No devotees will be allowed the access to the bathing ghats.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/thousands-of-devotees-gather-in-haridwar-for-kumbh-amid-covid-2411358
This is s once in a twelve year event and hence cannot be compared to religious ceremonies occurring every day of the week in temples, mosques and churches. It is difficult for any government, having allowed the five year event of elections and campaigns associated with them to stop permission to Kumbh Mela. I should imagine that those who attend know of the risks. What is needed is self regulation which might make crowds less than when it happened last time.
Crass! What sort of logic is this that permits such nonsense when Christian places of worship are not allowed more than 60 participants at any given time during even the most holy days of the year with due sops?
Ridiculous governing strategies!