Panic gripped Manikchak area following concerns that bodies, presumably that of Covid-19 victims, could wash down in the Ganga river to Malda district from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. People were also in a panic mode over possibilities of the Ganga waters and the fish there in the district being contaminated with the coronavirus.

However, no such body has been detected in the waters in Manikchak, the area where the Ganga enters the district, so far, officials have said. “Ongoing rumours have turned life difficult for fishermen, who have been finding it very hard to sell fish, as no one is willing to buy them due to the Covid fears,” a source said.

“Added to these, some posts in social media for bidding people to drink from or bathe in the river waters have also contributed to the panic situation,” the source added. According to the sources, a local club and the Hiranandapur gram panchayat have started making public announcements in loudspeakers, discouraging people from using the Ganga waters in any household work like cooking, drinking or even bathing, given the assumption that the waters there might be infected due to the floating bodies in the upper catchment areas.

A campaign in this regard has also gone viral on social media, drawing the public’s attention. “We are afraid to use river water as infection might have spread in the waters from those bodies spotted floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. We are also not willing to eat fish caught in the river for that can also bring contamination,” Uday Mandal, a local in Manikchak, said.

Kajal Mandal, the pradhan of tge Hiranandapur GP, however, refused he had started making such public announcements. “Some people may have done so in the name of the GP, but I am not aware of it. The matter will be looked into,” he said. The worst affected are the fishermen, who are selling their catch at far lower rates than normal.

The rohu fish of the Ganga there used to be sold at the rate of Rs 500-700 per kg, and the same has now gone down to Rs 150-200. The fish markets were also seen wearing a desolate look. The block administration and the police, on the other hand, have appealed to all to not spread any rumour. They have also warned of legal action against anyone doing do.

“The directives we have received from Nabanna do not talk of the need to make such public announcements,” Block Development Officer of Manikchak, Joy Ahmed, said.