NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees gathered by the Ganges River for special prayers, many of them flouting social distancing practices as the coronavirus spreads in India with record speed. The Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, is one of the most sacred pilgrimages in Hinduism. People who take a dip in the river believe it will absolve them of their sins and deliver them from the cycle of birth and death. The festival comes during India’s worst pandemic surge, as hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with patients. Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu-nationalist party say the festival was allowed because the government wasn’t willing to anger the party’s biggest supporters.
