Delhi has rebuffed calls to scrap the national winter games in picturesque Gulmarg despite suggestions to restrict large gatherings to check the spread of the coronavirus, triggering allegations that the central government was putting lives at risk for politics.

Sports minister Kiren Rijiju launched the inaugural Khelo India event amid panic over the detection of two persons with “high viral load” in Jammu.

The five-day sporting event is expected to see around 800 athletes from across the country take part in some 30 disciplines.

Rijiju said it was “a historic event not only for J&K but for the whole country”.

The minister launched the games with an open-air musical event on a ground 4ft under snow. “Those who are here today at this place are lucky,” he said. “This is the beginning of mega sports events in Gulmarg. More mega events are in the pipeline for this place.”

The decision to press ahead with the event came on a day authorities in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir ordered the closure of primary schools in several districts till March 31 because of the virus scare.

Many in Kashmir believe the Khelo India event has been organised to prove that all is normal in the Valley after months of lockdown since the Centre’s August 5 move to scrap the then state’s special status and redraw its map.

Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattu had on Friday called for cancelling the sporting event and conveyed his suggestion to the administration as well as to lieutenant-governor G.C. Murmu.

Iltija Mufti, daughter of jailed former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, said Kashmiris were being forced to pay a price for politics. “At a time when Coronavirus has caused a global health crisis & EU - India summit deferred, J&K admin is organising a massive sports event in Gulmarg. Why should Kashmiris bear a staggering cost for showcasing ‘normalcy’?” she tweeted.

Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, who heads the Valley’s right to information movement, called the decision “highly irresponsible”, saying the event had led to “hysteria among masses”.

G.N. Var, president, Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir, said: “Major tournaments and games have been postponed globally. But in Kashmir, it is the opposite…. Thousands of people including hundreds of players are coming. Imagine if somebody is infected by the disease.”

Rohit Kansal, spokesperson for the Union Territory, said there was no need to worry and claimed that hundred per cent screening was being conducted for the event.

Dr Shafqat Khan, nodal officer for the control of the virus in the Union Territory, said all incoming players had been screened and none of them had any symptoms.

The event unfolded even as an official spokesperson said two patients in Jammu had a high probability of testing positive. The two patients had on Friday tried to escape from a hospital but were brought back by the staff. “Both have high viral load,” the spokesperson said.