PILGRIMS ON GANGES AT RISK OF ‘TENACIOUS AND BRUTAL’ VIRUS
▶ Criticism of Indian government grows for allowing gathering of millions of Hindus in Haridwar
Millions of pilgrims plunged into the River Ganges yesterday, leading to outrage at the Indian government for allowing the Kumbh festival to go ahead during a second wave of the coronavirus.
The festival attracted pilgrims who thronged Haridwar city in northern Uttarakhand state.
About 1.4 million pilgrims were estimated to have jostled for space on the banks of the river yesterday in a repeat of scenes witnessed on Monday, when 3.1 million devotees gathered to perform the bathing ritual in the city considered holy by Hindus.
Most pilgrims did not wear masks or observe social distancing measures introduced during the year-long fight against the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and his Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules Uttarakhand, were heavily criticised on social media for allowing the gathering despite warnings by federal Health Ministry officials that it could become a super-spreader event.
“This is utterly nonsense and criminal to allow such a huge gathering during a pandemic. Who is responsible for the fallout?” one Twitter user wrote.
Uttarakhand has already reported a sharp rise in new infections, with a record 2,000 cases yesterday. More than 500 cases were detected in Haridwar.
Experts said the event could have a nationwide effect because pilgrims could take the virus home to towns and villages.
The Health Ministry yesterday said nearly 185,000 infections were on record, taking the total number reported in India since the pandemic was announced to 13.8 million.
More than 170,000 people have died from Covid-19, more than 1,000 of them on Tuesday.
Many hospitals have reached breaking point and some crematoriums and mortuaries were working at or filled to capacity.
The local government defended the event, publishing full-page newspaper advertisements inviting the faithful to a spiritual experience.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, who recovered from coronavirus last month, brushed aside the criticism and claimed that “faith was stronger than fear”.
“Nobody will be stopped in the name of Covid-19 as we are sure the faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus,” he said. The state government has made negative PCR test certificates mandatory for the pilgrimage, but local media reported that the majority of pilgrims ignored the requirement.
Health officials said more than 300 pilgrims out of 20,000 tested at random were infected.
“We agree it is difficult to maintain social distancing here, but we are following all the standard procedures and encouraging devotees to wear masks,” Harbeer Singh, member of the Kumbh organising committee, told The National.
Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges during the festival cleanses them of their sins and brings an end to the cycle of life and death.
This year, the government cut the event, usually four months long, to 30 days because of the pandemic, but jubilant crowds converged in the city in droves.
People debating the festival on social media drew parallels between the government’s position on the Hindu festival and attitudes towards hundreds of Muslims who were stranded in New Delhi in March last year.
Several high-ranking members of Mr Modi’s party falsely claimed that the Tablighi Jamaat missionaries were attempting to spread the virus as part of an effort to harm India.
Some in the right-wing Hindu leadership described the Muslims as “human bombs”.
The government was accused of treating Hindu and Muslim gatherings differently.
“There is a duplicity with regards to Tablighi Jamaat,” said Dr Shah Alam, a commentator on Muslim affairs.
“Kumbh is a poor public health policy decision and it will affect the population at large as the second wave is tenacious and brutal.”
Modi critics regard the Hindu gathering as a health matter and one that contrasts with treatment of Muslims