Days after resistance to Meghalaya doctor’s funeral, another such case in Chennai, 20 arrested
The family wanted to bury him in Nongpoh, where they own a house. But residents and community leaders refused, citing the virus.
New Delhi: As the nation battles Covid-19 pandemic, heart-wrenching stories about Corona warriors continue to pour from different parts of the country. In a shocking & horrible incident in Tamil Nadu, local residents in Chennai protested the last rites of a doctor who died to Covid-19 infection.
The doctor, hailing from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, breathed his last at a private hospital authorised by the Tamil Nadu government to treat COVID-19 patients on the outskirts of the city.
The hospital staff in protective gear took the doctor’s mortal remains to crematorium for last rites but the locals, throwing the curfew to wind, gathered and protested against it. Hospital staff tried to find reason but the protesters didn’t relent forcing them to take the body back.
#COVID : Days after resistance to #Meghalaya doctor’s funeral, another such case in Chennai, 20 arrested
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— Newsroompost (@NewsroomPostCom) April 20, 2020
It was only after police intervention that the funeral was allowed. Police protection was provided during the funeral. After the cremation, the police took the protesters to task and arrested 20 persons for disrupting last rites of the doctor.
36-hour wait for Meghalaya doctor’s last rites
On last Thursday, a doctor in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong, who died after contracting COVID-19, was laid to rest after an agonising 36 hours wait. The 69-year-old physician was also the founder of one of the first big private hospitals of the state. The locals resisted his last rites at different localities at the hill station as well as elsewhere.
The family wanted to bury him in Nongpoh, where they own a house. But residents and community leaders refused, citing the virus. Then, when discussions started to cremate the body but that also didn’t happen due to resistnace.
It was only after the government reached out to the churches, the doctor was given a resting place. Such insult to Corona Warriors is certainly uncalled for and any repeat of such incident must be dealt with strongly.