India OKs Hindu pilgrimage despite COVID-19 risks

Pilgrims trek through mountains to reach the holy Amarnath cave shrine, where they worship an ice stalagmite that Hindus believe to be the symbol of Lord Shiva, near Pahalgam, Kashmir, July 27, 2019. (Reuters)

• The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, which is located about 4,000 meters above sea level in the Lidder Valley and is considered sacred by Hindus
• The pilgrimage is expected to start from July 21, with only 1,500 people allowed to gather, out of which 1,000 will travel by helicopter and 500 on foot

NEW DELHI: New Delhi’s decision to open up sections of the Kashmir Valley for an annual Hindu pilgrimage has come under sharp criticism from health experts and analysts who said the move was “schizophrenic” and timing highly suspect.
“The government is showing schizophrenic traits by demonstrating to the world that they are serious about fighting the pandemic on one side and underplaying the COVID-19 crisis by putting people’s lives at risk on the other. They are playing with religious sentiments,” Dr. T. Jacob John, a virologist at the Christian Medical College (CMC) in the southern Indian city of Vellore, told Arab News on Wednesday.
India has the world’s third-highest number of infections, with more than 950,000 cases and 24,500 deaths recorded as of Wednesday. 
More than 11,000 of those are from Indian-administered Kashmir, which has reported 200 deaths so far.
The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, which is located about 4,000 meters above sea level in the region’s Lidder Valley and is considered sacred by Hindus who constitute 80 percent of the country’s 1.4 billion population.
Pilgrims must walk 24 km to reach the cave, which, under normal circumstances, sees a footfall of more than 5,000 people.
But this year’s pilgrimage was delayed due to a nationwide lockdown and social distancing measures. Media reports say that the pilgrimage is expected to start from July 21, with only 1,500 people allowed to gather, out of which 1,000 will travel by helicopter and 500 on foot.
However, Anup Soni, one of the members of the Amarnath shrine board, told Arab News on Wednesday that no decision has been taken yet about the pilgrimage date.
“The shrine board and local administration will take the final call,” he said.
India’s Supreme Court on Monday said it would not “interfere in this matter” after a Punjab-based volunteer organization filed a petition to ban this year’s pilgrimage because of the pandemic.
The court was responding to the petition filed by the Shri Amarnath Barfani Langar Organization (SABLO), which organizes free kitchens and provides accommodation for pilgrims. 
“Considering the reality across the country it would be wise to have a virtual tour of the cave rather than the physical tour which would further spread the pandemic at the community level,” Ranjan Gupta, general secretary of SABLO, told Arab News.
“The chances are that the presence of so many pilgrims will spread the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zaffar Choudhary, a Kashmir-based political analyst, said that the government’s move was suspicious.
“The latest COVID-19 guidelines keep religious activities suspended, but at the same time there are full preparations for the Amarnath pilgrimage,” Choudhary, editor of the Kashmir-based web news magazine The Dispatch, said.
He asked why the government was allowing the pilgrimage while imposing stricter anti-virus measures at other places of worship.
“Kashmiris are not averse to the Hindu pilgrimage, but they ask why prayers in local mosques or even temples violate COVID protocols but it is OK to have a pilgrimage that will have at least 5,000 pilgrims coming in every day,” he said.
 Since the lockdown was imposed in March, several Indian states have banned interstate travel, among other measures, to limit the spread of the disease.
On Tuesday, however, the government reopened Jammu and Kashmir for tourism, a move seen as an attempt “to show normalcy in the state.”
“The tourism infrastructure has collapsed and needs huge investment from the government to prop it up,” Hameed Wangnoo, president of the Houseboat Association of Kashmir, told Arab News.
The situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been volatile since Aug. 5 last year, when New Delhi scrapped Article 370 of India’s constitution and revoked the state’s autonomous status.
Tourism to the region took a severe beating, with massive losses to locals who depend on it for survival.
India and Pakistan both rule parts of Kashmir while claiming the area in full. They have fought two wars over the region and their forces frequently exchange fire across a 740 km Line of Control, the de facto border.