In UP’s Balrampur, man dies outside govt office, dead body taken for autopsy in garbage van
The man collapsed outside the office of municipality in Utraula town. The cops reached there on getting information but stood at a distance as they suspected that the man might have died from Covid-19.
New Delhi: In a shocking case of apathy and indifference towards citizens, the municipal workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur dumped a dead body inside garbage van and took it for autopsy.
The incident was shot on camera by an onlooker. It has gone viral on social media, with netizens taking strong offence to such inhuman and treatment.
According to reports, the man collapsed outside the office of municipality in Utraula town on Wednesday evening. The cops reached there on getting information but stood at a distance as they suspected that the man might have died from Covid-19.
A few sanitation workers of the municipality also refused to go near the body. The cops then arranged some private labourers to load the dead body on a garbage truck and sent it for postmortem, reported Deccan Herald. The deceased was identified as Mohammed Anwar, a resident of Sahzora village.
3 policemen, 4 municipal workers suspended
The district administration suspended four municipal workers too, involved in the episode, which has drawn serious criticism.
“A sub-inspector and two constables who are seen in the now viral video have been prima facie held guilty. They have been suspended with immediate effect. The district administration has also suspended four municipal workers,” the Balrampur police tweeted.
District Magistrate Krishna Karunesh has reportedly ordered a probe into the incident. “We have a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with the cases involving bodies. Usually, UP 112 PRVs are informed which have a kit for keeping the body and carrying it to the mortuary. Following COVID -19 scare, PPE-kits have been given to each police station for wearing while on frontline duties and also while handling bodies,” Balrampur SP Dev Ranjan Verma was quoted as saying by New Indian Express.