Uttarakhand: The Haridwar Police said on Friday that the Ganga Snan programmed on June 20 on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra in Haridwar has been canceled for devotees due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The police reported that the district borders will be sealed on June 20, and devotees coming from other states will not be permitted.
Kamlesh Upadhyaya, Superintendent of Police (SP), said, ‘After meeting with the officials of Shri Ganga Sabha including various religious institutions in Haridwar, it has been decided that Ganga Dussehra will be celebrated in a symbolic way. The borders of Haridwar will remain closed for the devotees coming from other states.’
The SP advised people to celebrate Ganga Dussehra at their houses and to follow the Standard operating procedures (SoPs) issued by the officials. ‘Legal action will be taken against those who would not follow the guidelines issued for COVID-19 under the Disaster Management Act,’ he added.
In the Hindu month Jyeshtha, Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day (Dashami) of the waxing moon phase (Shukla Paksha), when Goddess Ganga is also said to have ascended from heaven to Earth. The devotees believe that taking a dip in the river on this day will cleanse them of their sins and also heal any physical ailment.
In the meantime, a police sub-inspector posted in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie was transferred days after he fined an MLA for supposedly violating Covid-19 guidelines, stoking accusations that he was penalized for acting against a sitting legislator.
A video clip was released on social media, last Sunday, which showed that the Roorkee MLA Pradeep Batra throwing money at a police sub-inspector who had fined him and walking away. The MLA was stopped for not wearing a mask correctly and was wandering around with his family in spite of the lockdown imposed in Mussoorie.
On Thursday, the sub-inspector, Neerak Kathait, was transferred to Kalsi, around 40 km from Dehradun, Mussoorie Circle Officer Narendra Pant said.
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