Assam govt denies having any data on Kumbh returnees of the state

Devabrata Dutta

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has no specific data on Kumbh returnees of the state as revealed by Jishnu Baruah, Chief Secretary of Assam, today in a press conference at Assam Administrative Staff College here.

Haridwar Mahakumbh Mela was conducted in the month of April this year amid the surge in the COVID 19 cases due to the second wave across the country and was attended by almost 91 lakh pilgrims.

Uttarakhand, the host state of Kumbh, has recorded double the number of cases in just one month post the event. Now the state has around 2.5 lakh COVID-19 cases opposed to below 1 lakh cases prior to the event.

As per various media reports, it was declared that in the state of Madhya Pradesh, 99% of the Kumbh returnees tested positive for COVID-19.22 pilgrims went missing.

Also Read: Assam: COVID-19 patient commits suicide in GMCH by jumping from…

Likewise, District administrative held Kumbh returnees responsible for sudden spread of COVID-19 in the rural areas of upper Shimla.

Various reports have already declared this grand religious event as super spreader of the COVID-19 virus.

When InsideNE asked the same, Jishnu Barua said, “I did not receive any specific report on impact of Kumbh mela by those who went and attended the event. Morever, kumbh had an impact in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi not in Assam.”

In April, as many as 13 Kumbh returnees tested positive at the Mariani Junction in Assam’s Jorhat district. After extensive coverage by the regional media on the matter, there has been no official declaration regarding the same afterwards.

Last year, the Tablighi Jamaat returnees had caused panic in the state as the Assam government had declared that around 299 people of the state attended the event in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin Dargah and came back to Assam. It was reportedly another super spreader of the virus in 2020.

Assam is currently the worst affected state of the Northeastern region of India by the second wave of COVID-19.

Assam recorded highest single day spike of the year with 6,258 new COVID-19 cases registered as well as highest number of fatalities as 85 people succumbed to the virus over the past 24 hours.

The state tally in total number of cases rose to 3,04,429 and as many as 39,264 infected persons have lost their lives so far.

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