Coronavirus pandemic | Solapur's Pardhi community refuses to wear masks, claims 'Corona Devi' will protect them

Blind faith in a deity has encouraged the people of Maharashtra’s Pardhi community to refuse to follow social distancing norms and use of face masks and hand sanitizers. The people here believe that ‘Corona Devi’ will protect them from the novel coronavirus.

Their “belief” in the redundancy of health protocols related to the coronavirus pandemic has left the Solapur administration a worried lot. According to the Business Line, Solapur officials are now actively engaged in efforts to dispel the "rumour" that Corona Devi will cure and protect devotees.

For the past few months, the members of the Pardhi community in Barshi town have been sacrificing chicken and goats and offering them to the new-found goddesses.

Corona Devi was established and christened by the Pardhi locals after a woman claimed the deity came in her dreams and told her she wishes to “stay” in the locality. They claim that no one in the neighbourhood contracted COVID-19 because the Devi protects them and also keeps their loved ones residing in the cities safe.

The news of Corona Devi’s powers spread swift and far, and people are now reportedly scrambling to get a “darshan” of the Goddess or offer her prayers. The administration is afraid it would be difficult to control the crowd visiting Pardhi if the Corona Devi rumour turns into a religious fanfare.

Speaking on the issue at hand, Santosh Girigosavi, Barshi Police Inspector, said: “As people from other areas started visiting the locality we went there with doctors and explained the gravity of the situation. The spread of education is low in the Pardhi community and hence rumours spread fast. We have filed cases against two people under the Disaster Management Act, IPC- 188, and the Epidemic Act.”

Solapur district has 4,959 active coronavirus patients at present and 791 people from the district have died of COVID-19 already. The total caseload here thus far is 20,456.

Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis here.