- Title: Hindu group offers cow urine in a bid to ward off coronavirus
- Date: 14th March 2020
- Summary: FLUID DISPENSING UTENSIL, READING (Hindi): "PURE COW URINE HOLY OFFERING" COW URINE DRINK ON DISPLAY/STATUES OF COWS
- Embargoed: 28th March 2020 10:46
- Keywords: Hindu India New Delhi belief coronavirus covid-19 cow urine cow urine party religion
- Location: NEW DELHI, INDIA
- Reuters ID: LVA005C50WDHR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A Hindu group hosted a cow urine drinking party on Saturday (March 14) as they believe it wards off the coronavirus, as many Hindus consider the cow sacred and some drink cow urine believing it has medicinal properties.
Experts have repeatedly asserted that cow urine does not cure illnesses like cancer and there is no evidence that it can prevent coronavirus.
The "party", hosted by a group called the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (All India Hindu Union) at its headquarters in the country's capital, was attended by 200 people, and the organizers hoped to host similar events elsewhere in India.
"This is our faith. We believe that it will cure this and that's why we will consume cow urine ", said Chakrapani Maharaj, the chief of the All India Hindu Union.
He also posed for photographs as he placed a spoon filled with cow urine near the face of a caricature of the coronavirus.
The pathogen, which has infected more than 138,000 people worldwide and left over 5,000 dead, has no known scientific cure and governments across the world are struggling to control the spread of the pandemic. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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