Devotees throng Gangasagar Mela in West Bengal

A large number of devotees took the holy dip at Gangasagar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti at the confluence of River Ganga and the Bay of Bengal. They performed other rituals and offered prayers at the Kapil Muni temple. According to the authorities, over 15 lakhs pilgrims arrived at the Gangasagar Mela and took the holy dip over the last few days. All devotees were advised to follow the COVID-19 safety protocols maintained by the police and volunteers. West Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee told 10.90 lakh people underwent screening test for coronavirus and another 36,600 pilgrims were subjected to rapid antigen test. Of these people, only six have tested positive for the virus and they are under treatment, the minister said adding that the patients are doing fine. "So far, more than two lakh people have availed the facility of e-snan (e-bathing) and around 51 lakh people from across the country have opted for e-darshan (e-visit)," he said.