Research conducted by Padma Shri awardee Dr Ajay Sonkar showed that the Ganga river contains 1,100 types of bacteriophages, known as its "security guard", that destroy harmful bacteria and instantly purify water despite crores taking a holy dip during Maha Kumbh, ANI reported. In a release, the UP government had quoted Sonkar's research to "debunk doubts" about Ganga's water quality.