The Maha Kumbh Mela started on April 14 and will end with the last of the four shahi snans on April 27. (Credit: ANI)
NEW DELHI: In the wake of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the sadhu community at Maha Kumbh and top seers dying of Covid-19 complications , akhadas have started exiting the grand pilgrimage that has so far hosted lakhs of people.
The Kumbh mela will end on April 30 officially and the next royal bath is on April 27. The Akhada Parishad, the apex body of all 13 akhadas, is planning to take part in the next royal bath but only a few saints will go for the dip.
Second-largest akhada exits Kumbh after Nirwani head dies of Covid complications indiatimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiatimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Secretary of the Niranjani Akhada Mahant Ravindra Puri said that “most of the saints and their followers” in the camps at Haridwar have Covid-19 like symptoms due to which saints of the akhada have decided to end the mela from April 17.
Times View
India may be staring at a public health crisis of frightening proportions. It declared victory to the world after the first wave passed, and let its guard – and mask – down. The numbers are leaping from day to day at a speed that far outstrips last year’s. The huge election rallies, especially in Bengal, and the Maha Kumbh are almost certain to accelerate the spread of the infection. While it may be more localised in poll-bound states – that, at least, is the hope – there’s a deepening fear among public health officials that the dispersal of the millions who have congregated in Haridwar might act as a national super-spreader. The Prime Minister is to be commended for emphasising – during his recent interaction with chie