With coronavirus cases surging to record levels, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing growing pressure to impose a harsh nationwide lockdown amid a debate whether restrictions imposed by individual states are enough.

Many medical experts, opposition leaders and some of the Supreme Court judges have suggested the lockdown seems to be the only option with the virus raging in cities and towns.

Hospitals are forced to turn patients away while relatives scramble to find oxygen.

Crematoriums and burial grounds are struggling to handle the dead.

On Friday, India recorded a new record of 414,188 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours.

The tally of total cases in India has risen to more than 21.4 million since the pandemic began with faint hopes of the curve going down quickly.