Violating Covid19 restrictions, thousands gather for Kumbh Mela at Haridwar

Haridwar: Thousands of devotees, in clear violation of the COVID-19 rules issued by the Health Ministry.gathered by the river Ganges in Uttarakhand's Haridwar on Sunday in densely packed crowds for prayers during the Kumbh Mela - one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, reports NDTV

According to the report more than one lakh devotees were seen on the banks of the river. Many devotees have been claiming that COVID-19 is not a major concern anymore since the state government has made a negative RT-PCR result mandatory for those visiting Haridwar.

Along with devotees, scores of seers representing 13 Akhadas will take dip in the Ganges on Monday.

Held every 12 years, this year's Kumbh Mela is taking place in extraordinary circumstances, at a time when the second wave of the pandemic has gripped the country with over 1.5 lakh COVID-19 cases being reported in the last 24 hours.

Even though warnings against violation of COVID-19 rules have been installed at almost all the ghats the report says that several devotees reacted that it is practically impossible to adhere by these guidelines during the pilgrimage.

386 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours in Haridwar. There are 2056 active COVID-19 cases in the city. It has witnessed a 100 per cent jump in both the daily and active cases in just a week's time. On April 4, the city recorded 173 cases while the active cases stood at 837.