Like the ulemas, these religious leaders have also agreed to advocate polio vaccines against the P1 virus at the places of worship on festivals.

The leaders included chief priest Jagdambika Maharaj of Aliganj Hanuman Mandir and head granthi Sardar Gurdeep Singh of Gomti Nagar Gurudwara. Maulana Iqbal Kadri, president of the Sunni Ulema Committee, administered polio drops to children on Sunday.

“For the increasing number of polio cases in the state, we can no longer blame a particular community. Thanks to the active participation of the Ulemas, we have been able to remove apprehensions among the Muslims against polio drop,” said Ajay Saxena, convenor of the Pulse Polio Programme of Rotary in the state.

He added: “This year, the number of polio cases being reported from the Muslim community has reduced drastically. In a meeting with government officials, we have thus decided to involve religious leaders of other communities as well. They have shown great enthusiasm in participating in the programme.”