Niranjani Akhada, one of the 13 akhadas of seers participating in the Kumbh Mela, has decided to opt out amid rising COVID-19 cases, Niranjani Akhada's secretary Ravindra Puri said. "Many in our akhada are showing COVID-19 symptoms," he added. Meanwhile, the head of Maha Nirvani Akhara Swami Kapil Dev, who was being treated for COVID-19, passed away.