PUNJAB, India: Chief minister of an Indian state was reportedly hospitalized days after he drank from a ‘holy river’ as part of a statewide river cleaning campaign, local media reported.
In a viral video, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was seen scooping and drinking a glass of water from Kali Bein, a holy river in Sultanpur Lodhi, during the launch event of a campaign to clean rivers and drains across the state.
Punjab Chief Minister openly drinks a glass of polluted water from a ‘holy river’ to prove that water is clean. Now admitted to hospital. pic.twitter.com/MH1OLwUlUw
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) July 21, 2022
Two days later, he was airlifted from his official residence in Chandigarh to a hospital in neighboring state Delhi where he was admitted after complaining of a severe stomachache, reported The Indian Express, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The event was held to mark the 22nd anniversary of the cleaning of the Kali Bein river as Mann aimed to promote such efforts.
“CM [Mann] said that while there is no dearth of funds for this noble cause, he called upon people to support it & make it a mass movement,” tweeted the government in a post that showed pictures of Mann drinking from the holy water.
At 22nd anniversary function of cleaning of holy Kali Bein, CM @BhagwantMann announced statewide campaign to clean all rivers & drains in the state. CM said that while there is no dearth of funds for this noble cause, he called upon people to support it & make it a mass movement. pic.twitter.com/BAL5uqxIaS
— Government of Punjab (@PunjabGovtIndia) July 17, 2022
