Hindu group hosts cow urine drinking party in India in belief it will ward off the coronavirus

A group of Hindus hosted a cow urine drinking party in the belief it wards off the coronavirus.

Many Hindus consider the cow sacred and some think the animal’s urine has medicinal properties.

This has been refuted by experts, who assert that cow urine does not cure illnesses like cancer and there is no evidence that it can prevent coronavirus.

The "party" - hosted by a group called the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (All India Hindu Union) at its headquarters in the country's capital - was attended by 200 people.
The organisers hope to host similar events elsewhere in India as the world tackles the outbreak of Covid-19.

"We have been drinking cow urine for 21 years, we also take bath in cow dung," said Om Prakash, a person who attended the party.
"We have never felt the need to consume English medicine."

Leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party have advocated the use of cow urine as medicine and a cure for cancer.

A leader from India's north eastern state of Assam told state lawmakers earlier this month during an assembly session that cow urine and cow dung can be used to treat the coronavirus.

The pathogen, which has infected more than 138,000 people worldwide and left over 5,000 dead, has no known scientific cure and governments across the world are struggling to control the spread of the pandemic.