Opposition chief calls for national lockdown as India's coronavirus cases cross 20 million

Volunteers and relatives prepare to cremate the bodies of persons who died due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), at a crematorium ground in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called for a nationwide lockdown as the country's tally of coronavirus infections surged past 20 million on Tuesday, becoming the second nation after the United States to pass the grim milestone. India's deadly second wave of infections, the world's biggest surge in coronavirus infections, has seen it take just over four months to add 10 million cases, versus more than 10 months for its first 10 million. Currently, the country has 3.45 million active cases. On Tuesday, India reported 357,229 new cases over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose 3,449 for a toll of 222,408, health ministry data showed. Medical experts say actual numbers in India could be five to 10 times higher than those reported.