30 Sadhus among 2,167 at Kumbh Mela test Covid postive

April 16, 2021

PBC News: Thirty sadhus and 2,167 people participating in the mega Kumbh Mela at Uttarakhand’s Haridwar in India have tested positive for COVID-19 in the first five days – April 10 to 15.

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Of them, Mahant Narendra Giri, the leader of the All India Akhada Parishad, has been admitted to the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Rishikesh.

Another prominent sadhu – Swami Kapil Dev from Madhya Pradesh, who was the leader of the Maha Nirvani Akhada, died while being treated for a coronavirus infection at a private hospital in Dehradun; he had been transferred from a facility in Rishikesh, reports NDTV.

And the Niranjani Akhada – the second largest of more than 13 religious groups at the Kumbh – has indicated they will end participation on Saturday, nearly two weeks before the schedueld close.

“Till now, 30 sadhus have tested positive for COVID-19. The cases are not in any specific akhada. There are cases in almost all the akhadas, including Niranjini, Juna and others,” said Dr SK Jha, Haridwar Chief Medical Officer.

“In view of the deteriorating situation due to COVID-19, Kumbh Mela has concluded for us… main ‘shahi snan’ (‘royal bath’) is over for us and many from our akhada are showing symptoms of coronavirus,” Ravindra Puri, the Niranjani Akhada’s Secretary, was quoted by news agency ANI.

All of this happened as a Thursday night report from ANI confirmed that 2,167 people from the Kumbh area had tested positive for the coronavirus in the first five days – April 10 to 15.

The next significant Kumbh day is April 27.

The decision to go ahead with the Haridwar mega Kumbh – even as a deadly new Covid wave sweeps the country – has proven to be a controversial one for the state and central governments, with medical experts and opposition leaders warning of the event becoming a ‘super-spreader’.