Keonjhar: Playing spoilsport to the state government’s efforts to check the spread of coronavirus, vested interests are floating rumours to prey on the superstitions of rural folk in Odisha.
In one such incident of rumour mongering in Keonjhar district, thousands of parents stood in serpentine queues to pray at the Shani temple at Siddhamath on Saturday.
The gathering of devotees was contrary to the government instruction to prevent such crowds.
The devotees were spurred with a rumour that praying to Lord Shani and offering a donation of Re 1 will save their sons from coronavirus. Given the huge rush of devotees, the number of coconuts sold for offerings and the amount of bhog increased several folds.
Social activists and conscious citizens demanded that gullible villagers should be sensitized against such rumours spread by vested interests to increase their businesses.
They demanded that a proper investigation should be launched to find the person who floated the rumour and took the donation money of the devotees.
Sanjay Tripathy, a priest, said, “Some people float such rumours in rural areas while innocent people suffer financially because of this.”
The temple is under the state government’s Endowment Department. When contacted, the department’s executive officer, Ramachandra Kisku, pleaded innocence about the rumour and gave assurance that steps would be taken in this regard.
