KURNOOL: Struggling to lay COVID-19 victims to rest as locals refuse to let the last rites be performed near their residences, Kurnool municipal authorities were recently forced to bury a body in a dumpyard on the city’s outskirts in the dead of the night. But even this attracted the ire of nearby residents.
A 70-year-old from the city succumbed to COVID-19 on Sunday, and after following due procedure, the authorities tried to take the body to the burial ground at Budawarapet. However, locals gathered in large numbers and prevented the officials from performing the last rites there as they feared the body might contaminate the area. Another victim’s body had earlier been buried in the same premises.
The senior citizen’s body was then taken to the Kurnool Government General Hospital mortuary, and left with no option, the officials sought police protection and took it to the Gargeyapuram village municipal dumpyard at night and buried it there. When the villagers heard of this, they gathered on the streets on Monday night and protested against the authorities, demanding that they refrain from burying more bodies in the region.
“The government should identify a place away from human habitation to bury infectees,” said KV Ramana, a resident of Gargeyapuram, expressing fear that the virus might spread in the locality if bodies are buried there. As tension prevailed in the region, Taluka CI Obulesu, along with police, revenue and KMC officials, went there and convinced the locals that no more bodies would be buried in the dumpyard.
“We appeal to people not to oppose the burial of infectees as all norms are followed when performing the last rites,” said Kurnool Municipal Corporation commissioner S Ravindra Babu.
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