SRIKAKULAM: In an inhuman act, the body of a 70-year-old man, who is said to be a COVID-19 victim, was shifted to the burial ground in an earth mover in Palasa on Friday. According to information, the septuagenarian died on Thursday night with suspected symptoms of coronavirus.
Having learnt about the death, municipal, revenue and police officials went to the place and took measures to sanitise the locality to prevent the spread of virus. In the afternoon, the municipal staff shifted the body to the burial ground in a JCB.
Though the old man underwent COVID-19 test, the result is yet to come. Taking serious note of the inhuman act, the Chief Minister’s Office directed District Collector J Nivas to inquire into matter and punish the guilty for disposal of the body in gross violation of COVID-19 protocol.
Following the directive of CMO, the Collector conducted an inquiry into the incident and suspended sanitary inspector N Rajeev and Palasa Municipal Commissioner P Nagendra Kumar. In another incident occurred at Sompeta, the body of a 70-year-old woman who died of suspected symptoms of coronavirus was shifted to the burial ground in a panchayat tractor meant for garbage collection.
It is learnt that the family members of the victim approached the panchayat office when no one from the locality came forward to shift the body to the burial ground. With the consent of the family members, the body of the woman was shifted to the burial ground in the panchayat tractor.
The kin of the deceased also went to the burial ground in the same tractor and performed the last rites. Having learnt about the incident, CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to punish those responsible for the inhuman act to prevent recurrence of such incidents.