People lined up for their share of the "miracle liquid" being poured from kettles into 'kulhads', believing that it will protect them from coronavirus or cure them in case they have already been infected. It was not medicine or herbal concoction being served in the clay cups but cow urine.
After consuming a glass of cow urine at the 'gaumutra party' held here on Saturday, Swami Chakrapani, who claims to be president of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha that organised the event at its premises here, claimed that coronavirus is an "avatar" that has come to punish those who eat non-vegetarian food.
Asking for forgiveness from the virus on behalf of meat eaters, he pledged that Indians will never eat meat again.
"Coronavirus has come because of the people who kill and eat animals. When you kill an animal, it creates a sort of energy that causes destruction in that place. This is the reason why it is spreading in the entire world," he claimed.
His comments came even as the central government has asked people not to pay attention to "false rumours" that the novel coronavirus was spreading through non-vegetarian food like eggs, chicken, mutton and seafood.
Union Fisheries, Dairying and Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh told reporters on March 6 the World Organisation for Animal Health as well as Indian food safety regulator FSSAI have said there was no scientific evidence to prove transmission of coronavirus from animals to humans.
"The false rumour has hit thousands of farmers engaged in this business. The livelihood of farmers and the people engaged in the entire value chain have been affected. I humbly request people not to fall prey to such rumours," the minister had said.
While medical practitioners across the world have said there is no cure as such for coronavirus, Chakrapani claimed that cow urine is the "only cure" for COVID-19 and requested global leaders to consume the "miracle liquid" and lead by example in the fight against the contagious viral disease.
"All our leaders and officials consume 'gaumutra'. But they do so behind closed doors and when they are sick. It doesn't work like that," he said, insisting that cow urine should be consumed on a daily basis to keep diseases at bay.
"They (leaders) are ashamed of the gift gods have given us. Cow urine is pure elixir. Every person should drink it."
The event began with a 'yagna' and prayers to the cow and the virus itself, asking it to leave peacefully and not kill any more people. A large poster in the backdrop depicted an avatar of Hindu god Narsingh as coronavirus.
Chakrapani emphasised that global leaders should import 'gau mutra' from India as the cow giving the "miracle elixir" must be of an Indian breed only.
"They (global leaders) should get cow urine imported from India because the almighty resides only in the Indian cow and not in any foreign breed," the Mahasabha chief said.
"I request all the presidents and prime ministers of the world to take cow urine on a daily basis. You have all these scientists who don't know the cure, we have the cure given to us by the gods," he claimed.
Kriti Bhushan, former DG of Directorate General of Health Services, told PTI there is no scientific evidence behind claims that cow urine can cure coronavirus.
"In medical science, we only call something a cure after testing it on a 100 people or more. This is a unilateral claim and has no basis to it. In fact, currently there's no cure available for coronavirus. A lot of scientists are continuously working to find a solution," he said.
Rajesh Sharma, a volunteer at the event, vouched for its "miraculous" properties while offering the drink to others around him.
"You have just one glass today and by tomorrow morning you will know the difference. Gaumutra can cure all diseases, I can give it to you in writing," Sharma claimed.
Savita, a housewife from Paschim Vihar, came all the way to attend the 'gaumutra party'.
"I drink gaumutra on a daily basis, there is nothing healthier than this. Everyone in my family drinks it," she said while sipping from a glass full of cow urine.
