By Muslim Mirror Staff
New Delhi: A number of Hindu devotees on Tuesday gathered for the last ‘Shahi Snan’ in Haridwar despite rising cases of Covid-19. They took a holy dip in the Ganga, violating social distancing norms with no mask on their faces.
This comes even as owing to the health crisis in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17 April, said that the ongoing Kumbh Mela should now only be “symbolic”.
Hours after the appeal Swami Avdheshanand Giri, the head of the Juna akhada, or religious group, said “this is the end of Kumbh” for his collective, and called on others to follow suit.
The twin appeals had mixed results; according to news agency ANI, all through today, there were still hundreds of sadhus and devotees lining up for the holy dip, many of whom, again, were without face masks and paid no attention to social distancing requirements.
Uttarakhand on Monday reported over 5,000 new COVID-19 cases – a frighteningly high number for a state that, less than 60 days earlier, had just 58 confirmed cases in 24 hours.
Authorities in Haridwar seem to become active after the end of the Kumbh Mela as they have ordered a curfew in the district from Wednesday.