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NATION APRIL 16, 2021 | The Indian Eye 10

did Kumbh Mela turn into a ‘super spreader’

event amid the pandemic?

Prime Minister appeals to make the gathering ‘symbolic’ but religious group remain divided on calling off the congregation

Our Bureau bolic” in nature after a large
Haridwar number of people at the mela,
including seers, tested positive
s India grapples with for Covid-19. The PM added
a devastating second that symbolic participation at
Awave of the coronavi- Kumbh would help in the fight
rus, millions of devotees have against the raging virus.
descended on the banks of the Taking to Twitter, the PM
Ganges river in Haridwar to urged Swami Awadheshanand
take a dip in the water. Now, Giri, the Mahamandaleshwar of
the government of Uttarakhand Juna Akhara which is the largest
state, where Haridwar is locat- of the 13 akharas at Kumbh, to
ed, is facing heavy criticism for allow the pilgrimage to remain
allowing the Kumbh Mela festi- symbolic given the corona crisis.
val to go ahead amid a sharply After PM’s appeal, seers
worsening Covid picture. urged the pilgrims to not at-
The ongoing Kumbh was Devotees take a holy dip on the third 'Shahi Snan' of Kumbh Mela at tend the next shahi snan in large
shortened this year to just one Har ki Pauri, in Haridwar on Wednesday. (ANI) numbers. PM Modi’s call comes
month from April 1 to 30 due as one of the top seers Maha-
to the pandemic. In normal cir- mandaleshwar Kapil Dev Das
cumstances, the event, which (65) of the Nirwani Akhada had
comes once in 12 years, is held died from Covid-19 complica-
from mid-January to April. tions on Thursday. Following
One influential Hindu con- his demise, two Sanyasi or Shai-
gregation decided to opt out vite sects, Niranjani and Anand
of the massive festival. “The Akhadas had announced their
Kumbh Mela is over for us,” exit from Kumbh.
Ravindra Puri, secretary of the PM Modi said that all the
Niranjani Akhada or congrega- saints are cooperating with the
tion was quoted as saying in lo- administration and expressed
cal media. The decision came a his gratitude to the saints for
day after Swami Kapil Dev, the their gesture. Uttarakhand chief
head of another prominent con- minister Tirath Singh Rawat
gregation, died after being diag- also made an appeal to seers to
nosed with Covid-19. cooperate in the fight against
It’s unclear how many dev- A Sadhvi of Niranjani Akhada takes a holy dip at Har ki Pauri during Covid-19. Responding to PM’s
otees at the Kumbh Mela have Kumbh, in Haridwar on Wednesday. (ANI) request, Swami Awadheshan-
tested positive since the first day and urged people to not attend
of bathing on 11 March. But ficials said. had to pull back a COVID-19 the mela in large numbers.
Haridwar’s chief medical offi- “Our faith is the biggest testing crew. Swami Awadheshanand
cer, Dr SK Jha, said more than thing for us. It is because of that “We have moved away our further said that only one sha-
1,600 cases had been confirmed strong belief that so many peo- sampling team to avoid a stam- hi snan is left in which only a
among devotees between 10 ple have come here to take a dip pede-like situation,” said SK few sadhus will participate. The
and 14 April. But there are fears in Ganga,” Siddharth Chakra- Jha, chief medical officer of Swami added that sadhus also
that the numbers could be even pani, a member of one of the the northern city of Haridwar, believe that this is the best thing
higher, and that many of those Kumbh Mela organizing com- where the event is being held. to do.
who have returned home could mittees, told AFP news agency. “We do, of course, expect cases The Sanyasi seers consider
have taken the disease with “They believe that Maa to rise when the priests and oth- the third Shahi Snan, which was
them across the country. (mother) Ganga will save them er crowd move away.” on April 14, the high point of
The virus was detected in from this pandemic.” Meanwhile on Saturday, the congregation, while to the
the city of Haridwar, which lies As huge crowds made their Prime Minister Narendra Modi Bairagi seers, Ram Navami (on
along the river where the weeks- way towards the river on a spe- on Saturday appealed top seer April 21) and the fourth Shahi
long Kumbh Mela, or the pitch- cial day of bathing during the at the Kumbh Mela to keep Snan (on April 27) are most im-
er festival, is being observed, of- Kumbh Mela, health authorities the ongoing pilgrimage “sym- portant.

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