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India cancels historic Amarnath Yatra as coronavirus cases mount

India has cancelled a historic Hindu pilgrimage to a holy cave high in the snow-capped mountains of contested Kashmir for the first time, as cases of the novel coronavirus continued to rise on Wednesday.

There were 37,724 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, according to federal health data released on Wednesday. India has reported almost 1.2 million cases overall, behind only the United States and Brazil.

Organisers of the Amarnath Yatra, where saffron-clad Hindu ascetics walk 46 km (28 miles) to the cave across glaciers and waterlogged trails, said a “very sharp” spike in coronavirus cases had forced the cancellation.

A lot is already being discussed about financial irregularities surrounding Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS). But, little is said about its naxal links.

Since the Pune police’s crackdown on Maoist organizations and naxal supporters, a lot is being discussed about the action taken against Naxalites during the UPA regime.

Today, Chidambaram and other Congress leaders may stand in support of Urban Naxals. However, as country’s Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram was vocal about Maoists getting media and intellectual support during the UPA rule. The Congress-led government at the center and state of Maharashtra had put several outfits under observation. Some of them were alleged to be frontal organizations, while there were others that were found to be linked with Naxalites.