Cult leader's influence affecting vaccination drive in Meghalaya: Officials

A Meghalaya cult leader who previously persuaded his followers to reject government schemes for the poor has now stymied the Covid-19 vaccination drive, with his followers dismissing the need for Covid jabs.

A cult leader in Meghalaya, who had earlier convinced his followers to reject government schemes for the poor, has come in the way of the Covid-19 vaccination drive with his followers rejecting the need for taking Covid jabs, senior district officials said. There are reports of low Covid vaccination in remote villages of Khasi Jaintia Hills region, comprising seven districts, where the cult leader has influence in some pockets, the officials said on condition of anonymity. The cult leader, Pastor Phawa or Phawa to his followers, in the Christian-dominated state, has gone into hiding since 2018 as he was under the radar of the state government during the 2018 assembly elections as many people reportedly abstained from voting because of his influence, they said.