In a worrying development, a priest who was to be part of rituals for the Bhoomi Pujan (foundation stone ceremony) of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and 16 security personnel deployed there have tested positive for COVID-19, reports said on Thursday.
Ayodhya is getting ready to host the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for the Ram temple on August 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leaders and members of the RSS had been invited for the Bhoomi Pujan.
News 18 reported, “Priest Pradeep Das, who has tested positive for coronavirus, is the ‘shishya’ of Acharya Satendra Das and is one of the four priests who performs puja regularly at the site. Das has now been placed under home quarantine and contact tracing is being done...”
Over 800 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Ayodhya till date, including 66 on Wednesday.
Ironically, last week, the Allahabad High Court had rejected a plea seeking a stay on the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the court had said it expected the Uttar Pradesh government to take all precautions to ensure safe conduct of the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony.
The Ayodhya district administration is engaged in a massive cleanliness drive ahead of the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony.
