Belur Math, the global headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, will remain closed indefinitely from Thursday.
At an emergency meeting of the governing council of the organisation on Wednesday, it was decided that Belur Math would have to be shut down immediately because of the surge in Covid cases. “Because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the premises of Belur Math will remain closed to visitors and devotees from April 22,” said Swami Suvirananda, the general secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
Over the last week as numbers kept rising across India, the governing council realised it would have to take a call considering the health of the nearly 300 monks and around 250 workers who stay on the Math premises.
Belur Math had reopened its gates to visitors on February 10 after remaining closed for six months as a precaution against Covid. Around 200 visitors have been turning up every day and the number goes up on weekends and holidays. So, after deliberations, the monks decided that gates would be closed indefinitely.
“...it is a prudent decision,” said a senior health department official.
On Wednesday, senior monks of several other centres of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission came together to discuss their course of action.
“Similar restrictions are likely to be in place for centres in Calcutta and other urban areas. A final decision will be taken after discussions with the centre-heads,” said Swami Nityamuktananda, of Mayer Bari at Bagbazar.
At Ramakrishna Math in Cossipore (Udyanbati), timings for visitors have been curtailed. “The gates will remain open for two hours from 9am. In the evening, it will remain open from 4pm to 7.30pm,” said Swami Pareshatmaananda, a senior monk at the Math.
The managing committee of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in Kamarpukur has decided that all pranams will have to be done in the standing posture.
“If the numbers continue to rise out here, we might decide to close the gates,” said a senior monk at the Kamarapukur centre in Hooghly.
Bomb attack
Shilbhadra Dutta, the BJP candidate from Khardah, alleged that a group hurled bombs at his car. The alleged attack came less than 12 hours before Khardah votes on Thursday. Dutta was having tea at a roadside stall in the Bandipur area when bombs were hurled, police said.
Cash haul
A man was detained with Rs 33.87 lakh in central Calcutta on Wednesday night. Bubai Chakraborty, 27, of Bongaon in North 24-Parganas, could not provide any information about the source of the money, police said.