Amidst fears that the large religious gathering may result in a tremendous worsening of the coronavirus situation, two akhadas (seer bodies) have decided to call off their participation in the event where 4.85 million people are said to have assembled.

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The two bodies — Niranjani akhada and Anand akhada decided to quit the mela after 65-year-old Kapil Dev Das of the Nirwani akhada of Madhya Pradesh, passed away reportedly at a private facility in the kumbh mela area yesterday, inform news reports.

As per news reports, more than 1,700 people have tested positive for COVID19 in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela area from April 10 to 14 confirming fears that one of the world’s largest religious gatherings may contribute further to the exponential rise in coronavirus cases.

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The Kumbh Mela area is spread over almost 670 hectares covering parts of Haridwar, Tehri and Dehradun districts, as well as Rishikesh. It started on April 9 and is expected to end on May 8.

At least 3.5 million people participated in the last two shahi snan (royal baths) held on the occasion of Somwati Amavasya on April 12 and Mesh Sankranti on April 14. They were reportedly violating COVID19 regulations like wearing face masks and maintaining physical distancing.

News reports mentioned that the Uttarakhand government might cancel the Kumbh mela if the top body of seers, the Akhada Parishad, requested the government to do so.

Meanwhile, India has reported over 217,353 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours. The virus has claimed 1,182 lives across India. Several state government have imposed COVID-19 restrictions such as curfews and mini-lockdowns.