Amid shortage of hand sanitizers, the ISKCON temple in Mumbai’s Juhu used cow urine (gaumutra) as sanitizers at entry points of the temple. This bizarre incident took the social media by storm after several people questioned the move by the temple authorities.
Officials claimed that after the coronavirus outbreak, they kept hand sanitizers at entry points of the temple and at the entry of Govinda restaurant. However, on Sunday, the authorities ran out of stock and had to use distilled gaumutra, also known as ‘goark’, as it has ‘anti-bacterial powers’.
Raju P Nair, general secretary of the District Congress Committee, Ernakulam in Kerala Monday filed a complaint with Mumbai Commissioner of Police (CP) against the ISKCON temple authorities in Juhu after they reportedly used gaumutra (cow urine) to sanitize the hands of visitors entering it premises on Sunday.
Nair said he went to visit the Govinda restaurant with his friend on Sunday morning when the security guards reportedly sprayed gaumutra to sanitise their hands at the entry of the temple premises.
In his complaint, Nair wrote, ‘This is a violation of human right. I take strong objection to this since this is against my scientific temper and an attack on my self respect. This is also a violation of the protocol declared by the government in dealing with the pandemic COVID-19, and hence puts normal people’s lives at risk. I view this as a social issue that affects hundreds of people who visit there.’
‘The restaurant had enough santizers but at the entrance gate, we lacked hand santizers. We had Goark’, which is what we get when gaumutra is boiled and other substances are removed from it. It is an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, bio-enhancer anti-cancer agent. Therefore, till the time we get new stock we used distilled cow urine as hand sanitizer,’ authorities told India Today.
A Twitter user first pointed out the move by ISKCON temple.
Today my friend took me to Govinda restaurant inside ISKCON Temple complex, Andheri where I had to go through a security check. After frisking they asked me to show my hands and sprayed something which smelled awkward. When I questioned they said it is gaumutra @OfficeofUT pic.twitter.com/Qdx44ungsS
â Raju P. Nair (@RajuPNair) March 15, 2020
After much criticism, the authorities claimed that they did not forcefully ask anyone to use cow urine as hand santizers.
‘People were free to use it or not use it. People went to the washroom and used soap to clean hands. It is personal hygiene and precautionary measures everyone has to take,’ Parijata Devi Dasi from ISKCON Temple said.
When asked whether it was wise to use gaumutra as hand sanitizer, Parijata said, ‘It is not gaumutra. It is distilled gaumutra. It has a lot of benefits and it is anti-bacterial. We immediately changed them once we got regular sanitizers.’
While large gatherings in the temple have been cancelled amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the temple issued a notice notifying that the temple will be closed for visitors from Tuesday until further notice.
Also Read: In A Bizarre Plan, Hindu Group Organises Cow Urine Drinking Party To Avert Coronavirus
