LUCKNOW: After disturbing visuals of unidentified bodies floating in the Ganga river, a video went viral in which two men are seen dumping the body of a Covid patient into the Rapti river in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district.
The 26-second clip, which appears to be filmed by a person from a vehicle, shows the two men, one of them wearing PPE suit, amid rain throwing the body from a road bridge.
While the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) confirmed the patient had tested positive, the police announced that two persons, including a close relative of the COVID victim and a sanitation staff, was arrested for the act that took place on Saturday. "A criminal case was lodged against them and further investigations are underway," ASP, Balrampur, Arvind Mishra said.
According to Balrampur CMO Dr VB Singh, a 68-year-old man from Shohratgarh area was admitted at a hospital in Balrampur district on May 25, where he tested Covid positive the next day. He was shifted to an isolation ward at the Jila Sanyukt Chikitsalaya but died on May 28 evening.
The body was handed over to the patient’s nephew Sanjay Shukla and sent in a vehicle for cremation the next morning.
But, the police said, instead of getting the body cremated at the Bijlipur Ghat, Shukla took the body and got it thrown in the river with the help of the sanitation staff and another man who works at the riverside cremation ground.
Shukla allegedly oversaw the operation from an SUV, and the police are looking into the possibility of money being exchanged for getting the work done. Also under scanner is the role of those who filmed the clip.
The opposition Congress tweeting the video on Sunday and asserted that the awful state of affairs in UP was exposed yet again. “Will the UP government now prove this video as false,” it questioned.
Disturbing visuals from Balrampur
The 26-second clip, which appears to be filmed by a person from a vehicle, shows the two men, one of them wearing PPE suit, throwing the body from a road bridge