No surprise

Sir — At least three athletes and around 50 other people associated with the Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19 days before the Games are scheduled to take place. With tens of thousands of participants from over 200 countries gathering in Tokyo, this was inevitable. If the infection, especially the Delta variant, spreads among the general public — Japan has a low vaccination rate — the country will witness a devastating Covid wave.

Aparajita Saha,
Calcutta

About time

Sir — It was a relief to read that the Kanwar Yatra has been called off by the Uttar Pradesh government in view of Covid-19 a day after the Supreme Court directed the state to cancel the event. Earlier, the state government had argued that only those who were fully vaccinated or could produce a negative RT-PCR test report would be allowed to undertake the journey. But in reality, it would have been impossible to monitor the health status of all devotees.

It would have been a disaster to hold a physical Kanwar Yatra when the third wave of the coronavirus is knocking at our doors. The UP government has now announced that it will go ahead with a pared-down, symbolic version of the Kanwar Yatra. This may bring a sense of comfort to the thousands of devotees who would have otherwise made the journey on foot.

The apex court was right to point out that religious sentiments are subservient to the fundamental right to life and health. It was absolutely necessary for the Supreme Court to step in and make the UP government cancel the event. Had the Kanwar Yatra taken place this year, the country would have, once again, witnessed the devastating scenes that marked the second wave of the pandemic.

Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai

Sir — It is mind-boggling how the Uttar Pradesh government could have insisted on holding the Kanwar Yatra this year. It was not long ago that scenes of bodies floating in the Ganga or mass cremations along the river’s banks during the second wave of the pandemic flashed on our TV screens. While it is good news that the yatra has finally been cancelled, the Supreme Court should not have had to intervene in the first place.

Amar K. Sharma,
Gwalior