MANGALURU: MLA Bharat Shetty’s opposition to the cremation of the Covid-19 patient evoked a sharp response from netizens as well as the opposition. On Thursday, Shetty had rushed to a burial ground in Mangaluru and tried to convince the locals.
Later, in a video that went viral on social media, the MLA is seen telling the locals: “Being a doctor, I know that even if the body is burnt, there are no chances of the coronavirus spreading in the locality. But since no one informed me, the local corporator or the locals, I will not allow the funeral to be conducted in my constituency. Only if the locals allow, we can think about it.”
However, he later took a Uturn and tweeted: “Dear citizens, cremation with fire is accepted method to dispose the Covid-19 body. However, more than 1,000 people including women gathered who were in panic and were reluctant to move. In order to protect law and order we had to change our plans.”
Shetty later told TNIE that social distancing was not maintained, as more than 1,000 people, including women and children, had gathered at Pachanady. “I did not oppose the cremation. To maintain law and order, we had to ask the authorities to change the cremation site,” he said.
MLA UT Khader said that “being a people’s representative, Shetty should lead the people in the right direction during these critical times. What the MLA has done by opposing the cremation stands against civilised society”.