Madhya Pradesh authorities 'deploy' Yamraj and Chitragupt to reinforce COVID-19 norms

In Madhya Pradesh, artists have been hired by the local district administration to raise awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic. According to ANI, Bhopal district administration, under the recently-launched 'Rok-Tok Abhiyan', has deployed artists dressed as Yamraj and Chitragupt whose primary task is to create awareness about COVID-19 precautions.

Yamraj and Chitragupt have been deployed in the New Market area to issue symbolic warnings to those who are flouting COVID-19 safety regulations. 

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Symbolic warning

Yamraj and Chitragupt are Hindu deities, who are responsible for the death and keeping records of deeds of humans respectively. While Chitragupt maintains a record book, where he notes the actions of humans here on Earth, Yamraj, the god of death, punishes the sinners when they reach his abode, the Yamlok.

The district administration in Bhopal is using the artists to deliver a symbolic message to those who are flouting COVID-19 rules that if they do not follow safety measures they will suffer at the hands of Karma. 

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In the video shared online, the artists, dressed as Yamraj and Chitragupt, can be seen warning people who are roaming without following precautionary measures such as masks and social distancing. The video shows Yamraj warning passersby in the New Market area and Chitragupt distributing faces masks and sanitising peoples' hands. 

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Several parts in the country are recording a surge in COVID-19 cases and especially after governments eased restrictions following months of strict lockdowns. Madhya Pradesh has recorded more than 1,90,000 confirmed cases so far and over 3,100 people have lost their lives. Between November 6 to 19, the state recorded more than 13,000 new cases, which is one of the highest across all of India.

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