The chief of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (All India Hindu Union) group hosted a cow urine-drinking event on Saturday in New Delhi, hoping that the practice staves off the coronavirus.

Many Hindus consider the cow to be sacred. Some leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party have advocated cow urine or cow dung for its "medicinal" properties.

"We have been drinking cow urine for 21 years, we also take a bath in cow dung. We have never felt the need to consume English medicine," said Om Prakash, one of the party attendees.

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The spread of the coronavirus in India has triggered numerous controversial health benefit claims, particularly surrounding traditional medicines such as plant and mineral extracts and yoga. One example is the belief that applying two drops of sesame oil into the nostrils each day can ward off the coronavirus.

Baba Ramdev, one of India's most famous yoga masters, said on February 22 that "if you practice yoga, your immunity increases which can help save a person in case they are infected with the virus. If immunity is low, the person cannot be saved."