One wedding led to 20% of Bihar’s new Covid cases

PATNA : Almost one-fifth of total new Covid cases reported from Bihar on Monday were from a marriage ceremony in Patna’s Paliganj area on June 15, in which the groom died two days after the marriage. He was cremated without any Covid test, officials said.

A state government health official, who was not willing to be named, said swabs of 300 guests at the function were collected and the number of positive cases among the people who attended the marriage party could go higher.

According to officials, the groom, a resident of Dihpali village under Masaurhi block in Patna, had arrived home at Paliganj days before June 15, when his marriage was scheduled.

“The groom, a software engineer in Gurugram, was having fever and he had insisted not to get married on June 15.

“However, his parents gave him some medication and persuaded him otherwise,” a neighbour, who was not willing to be quoted, said. “The groom’s father is a school teacher at Paliganj and has constructed a house there. He had invited his friends from the teachers’ fraternity, besides other people, for the wedding ceremony,” said Rampravesh Rai, a local businessman.

The baraat went to Piplawan near Naubatpur block in Patna.

“Two days after his marriage, the condition of the groom deteriorated and before he could reach AIIMS-PATNA, he died,” said Dr Abha Kumari, in-charge of subdivisional hospital, Paliganj.