Indian politicians have been offering their cure for the Coronavirus while scientists all over the world are searching for one. While a BJP legislator from Assam termed the coronavirus as an airborne disease and asked people to use cow urine and cow dung to prevent it, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suggested yoga as a cure for the virus. Recently, around 200 people, who were part of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (All India Hindu Union), were seen sipping gaumutra at a party in New Delhi to ward off the virus.
Now, in a step further, the ISKCON temple authorities in Mumbai used distilled cow urine as a hand sanitizer for visitors at entry points of the temple. The authorities claimed that they had run out of stock of the regular alcohol-based sanitizers and had to use distilled gaumutra.
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Keeping in mind the outbreak of the coronavirus, the authorities had kept a sanitizer at the temple entry points. However, they ran out of stock and had to use goark, which is what you get when gaumutra is boiled and other substances are removed from it. According to them, goark has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, bio-enhancer and anti-cancer properties.
This step angered a visitor who lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Commissioner of Police against the ISKCON temple authorities. Raju P. Nair tweeted that he was visiting the Govinda restaurant with his friend when authorities sprayed the liquid on his hands without his consent. He said that this went against his faith and values.
Today my friend took me to Govinda restaurant inside ISKCON Temple complex, Andheri where I had to go through a security check. After frisking they asked me to show my hands and sprayed something which smelled awkward. When I questioned they said it is gaumutra @OfficeofUT pic.twitter.com/Qdx44ungsS
— Raju P Nair (@RajuPNair) March 15, 2020
The authorities received heavy criticism for the act, to which they responded saying that they forcefully did not ask anyone to use cow urine as hand sanitizers. People were free to use it or not.
When the authorities were asked whether it was wise to use gaumutra as hand sanitizer, Parijata Devi Dasi, a spokesperson from ISKCON Temple, said, “It is not gaumutra. It is distilled gaumutra. It has a lot of benefits and it is anti-bacterial. We immediately changed them once we got regular sanitizers.”
Large gatherings in the country have now been disallowed. Many temples in Maharashtra like the Shirdi Saibaba temple have been shut due to the coronavirus scare. Even Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple To Be Shut From Today After Coronavirus Concerns
While bizarre incidents like these keep coming our way, in times like these, it is important to abide by one of the most important fundamental duties prescribed by our Constitution – to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform!
First Published: March 18, 2020 11:44 AM