Aslam Baba, who claimed that he had the power to cure corona virus through kisses succumbed to the disease on June 4 in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district.
As news of his death spread, health officials and authorities swung into action to identify people who had visited Aslam.
It was found that atleast 19 of those who visited Aslam tested positive for COVID. Out of the 24 COVID positive patients found in Ratlam on 9th June 2020, 13 of them had a contact history with Aslam. Another 6 people from Nayapura district who had come in contact with the Muslim magic healer had tested positive on June 7. Upon seeing the steady increase in cases, 29 other blackmagic healers were traced and quarantined.
Dr. Pramod Prajapati, Nodal Officer had said that the methods used by these magic healers posed high risk. Some of the magic healers blow into the water which the followers are made to drink. Some of them claimed to cure the virus through kissing.
However, media outlets like The Guardian, Pakistani-sponsored channel Vice, UK based Dailymail tried to conceal the Muslim identity of the man or gave it a Hindu spin.
The Daily Mail carried the headline “Indian holy man who claimed he could perform ‘Covid exorcisms’ by kissing people’s hands dies of coronavirus – having already infected 20 of his followers” and went on to say that “The tantric man, from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, would kiss the hands of his devotees and told them it would rid their lives of problems.” It is to be noted that Tantric is an esoteric tradition of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Pakistani-Candian founded Vice had the headline “An Indian Healer Who Kissed Hands to Cure Coronavirus Died of Coronavirus” and used the terms “spiritual healer”, “baba”, “self-styled holy man”.
The Guardian played it subtle by denoting Aslam as an “Indian” healer but had a cover pic that portrayed a Hindu sadhu.
Some Indian media outlets like Nayi Duniya, Younews.in and Navbharat Times too tried to hide the Muslim identity and carried the story as baba.
