Women flock religious event to ‘eradicate’ virus

Hundreds of women gathered for a religious event, in violation of the Covid-19 norms, in a village in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district to “eradicate coronavirus” on May 3, police said on Wednesday. As many as 23 people, including the village head, have been arrested after a video of the incident, in which at least 500 women carrying water pots and walking towards a temple can be seen, was circulated on social media. The incident occurred in Navapura village in Sanand taluka. A police officer said villagers believed that coronavirus will just go away if water is poured on the Baliyadev temple. “A police team rushed to the spot and arrested 23 villagers, including sarpanch Gafabhai Thakor,” said deputy superintendent of police, Sanand Division, KT Kamariya. He said the accused have been booked for violating a police notification banning all public gatherings under section 188 of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.