Indian authorities introduced a curfew and rushed to test residents of a rural village after hundreds gathered for the funeral of a horse said to have divine powers, sparking fears of a coronavirus outbreak. More than 400 mostly mask-less men, women and children gathered in the village of Maradimath in the southern state of Karnataka on Sunday, to pay their respects to the horse, which they believed had been protecting them from the pandemic. Karnataka is among the states that have been hit hardest by Covid-19. It is under a weeks-long lockdown to curb high infection rates, with more than 1.5 million Covid-19 cases reported in the state since a severe second wave of the virus hit the country in late March.But the residents of Maradimath defied the lockdown and marched for hours across the village, beating drums and chanting as they carried the dead horse on a cart.
The horse’s body was covered in flowers and colourful pigments were splashed across its body as women wailed and men queued up to pay tribute before it was laid to rest at a temple. As news of the gathering spread, health authorities sealed the village and embarked on a testing drive using rapid antigen tests, fearing a rise in Covid-19 infections. “We are conducting tests on the villagers every day. It is a matter of our concern,” said MG Hiremath, the district’s top civil officer. “Twenty-five people were tested yesterday but no one has tested positive so far,” he told The National. “In rural areas people have such beliefs. They worshiped the horse that belonged to a local monastery and believed the horse was protecting them from Covid-19.” Police said they have charged the gathering for violating the lockdown that remains in place in the state but no arrests have been made.
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