Punjab: 115 Hazur Sahib Returnees From Maharashtra's Nanded Test Positive for COVID-19

Chandigarh, May 2: With many pilgrims returning from Nanded testing positive for COVID-19, Akal Takht jathedar Harpreet Singh on Friday claimed there was a conspiracy to malign the Sikhs over it just as the Muslims were after the Tablighi Jamaat episode.

At least 115 of the over 3,500 pilgrims who have returned from Hazur Sahib gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded in recent days have tested positive for coronavirus, according to state government figures.

The jathedar who heads the main temporal seat of the Sikhs has now compared this to the “maligning” of the Muslim community after people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi were found carrying the virus to their homes across the country.

He alleged there was a “race to malign the entire Muslim community” over the Tablighi Jamaat episode and the “same kind of propaganda” is being carried out now.

“It is being propagated as if Takht Sri Hazur Sahib was the home to coronavirus and these people carried it with themselves to Punjab,” he alleged. “It is a very big conspiracy,” the jathedar said.

He said the pilgrims stayed at the Nanded gurdwara's “sarai” for over a month, volunteering for the “langar sewa”.

“How come they turned coronavirus positive after they reached Punjab? This question comes to the mind of everyone,” he argued.

About 4,000 Punjab pilgrims were stranded at the Nanded gurdwara due to the nationwide lockdown against coronavirus. Most of them have been brought in the last few days.

The jathedar questioned the “credibility” of the tests conducted on the pilgrims on their return, and asked the government to clear the air.

The religious leader claimed he was told that there were “only two positive cases” of coronavirus in the entire Nanded city. He was informed that all pilgrims were “tested thrice” at Hazur Sahib and were not found to be infected, the jathedar said.

Harpreet Singh said the pilgrims, including women and children, returned after a 30-hour tiring journey. He said there were complaints about the quarantine arrangements made for them and urged Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to set things right.

“A video surfaced in Amritsar where some women are complaining that they are not getting water to drink. Some are being kept in 'deras' which is against their sentiments. It appears to be the irresponsibility on the part of the government,” he said.

He said the state government should have contacted the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for arranging the stay and meals for the quarantined pilgrims.

He, however, thanked CM Amarinder Singh for arranging their return from Nanded, where they were stranded.

The state government has already ordered a 21-day quarantine for people coming from outside. So far, 3,525 pilgrims from Nanded and 153 students from Kota have returned to Punjab. Punjab saw its steepest rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the past two days with 115 Nanded pilgrims testing positive till Thursday evening.