Niranjani Akhada seer dies due to Covid; 5-day curfew in Haridwar

HARIDWAR/DEHRADUN: A seer from Niranjani Akhada who had visited Mahakumbh fair in Haridwar died due to Covid-19 died on Tuesday.

The deceased, Rakesh Puri, had arrived from Ahmedabad for Mahakumbh early this month and was recently tested Covid positive. Already several seers, including two Mahamandaleshwars from Madhya Pradesh who had attended Kumbh in recent weeks, have died of Covid.

With the conclusion of the last Shah Snan, only 50 seers of Niranjani Akhada took Ganga dip on Tuesday.

Niranjani Akhada secretary Mahant Ravindra Puri had also tested Covid-19 positive after the April 14 Mesh Sankranti-Baisakhi Shahi Snan who recently recovered and participated on Tuesday’s Shahi Snan of Chaitra Poornima.

Akhada seers didn’t divulge further information about the Ahmedabad-based seer though added that daily, seers from the Akhadas are being tested for Covid-19 and sanitization is being carried out at the Akhada premises.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday evening, an order was issued to clamp day curfew in Haridwar district on the lines of similar curfews imposed in Dehradun, Rishikesh, Nainital and Rudrapur. District magistrate Haridwar C Ravi Shankar said that from April 28 noon till morning of May 3, the Covid curfew will be imposed in the district. Essential services will remain exempted from the curfew.

Uttarakhand on Tuesday reported the death of 96 patients, the highest daily death toll since the pandemic started in March last year, taking the overall fatality in the state to 2309. The state reported 5,703 fresh cases, taking the state tally to 1,62.562. Of 5703, maximum 2218 cases are from Dehradun followed by 1024 from Haridwar and 848 from Nainital district. Dehradun district has reported the maximum 55,605 cases so far followed by Haridwar (29,255) and Nainital (2,203).

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand government issued a statement, saying 7500 Remdesivir injections have reached Dehradun in the state from Ahmedabad on Tuesday late evening.

The stock of injections was procured from Ahmedabad on the directions of the chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat .

THE DECEASED, RAKESH PURI, HAD ARRIVED FROM AHMEDABAD FOR MAHAKUMBH EARLY THIS MONTH AND WAS RECENTLY TESTED COVID POSITIVE