HYDERABAD: An NGO based out of New Delhi urged the Central Government on Saturday to ensure Indian citizens who died abroad due to Covid-19 are cremated with dignity. Pravasi Legal Cell, the NGO, urged the Centre to issue guidelines to all embassies and high commissions of India around the world in this regard.
The NGO’s president, advocate Jose Abraham, in his letter to the Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, said that many Indians are stranded abroad due to the travel ban imposed by various countries, including India. Therefore, even the bodies of Indians who died of Covid-19 could not be brought back to India as the virus may spread through the mortal remains.
Hence, the Ministry of External Affairs has to issue necessary guidelines to the Indian embassies of the respective countries regarding death of Indian citizens due to the pandemic. The embassies need to ensure that such mortal remains are cremated with dignity, record the cremation and share the video of the same with the family of the deceased in India.