BERHAMPUR: The apathy meted out by locals to an anganwadi supervisor who died at Sriramnagar locality here has shocked the Silk City. The anganwadi worker, Asanta Patra (55), was posted at the Covid care centre in Kankarada village of Sanakhemundi block. She died of an illness with symptoms similar to Covid-19 on Saturday. Later, her samples were collected and body cremated.
Ironically, Asanta, who worked relentlessly for people infected with coronavirus, was denied dignity as residents of the locality where she stayed refused to help her husband Dukhishyam Patra in carrying her body to the cremation site. Left with no option, he along with Asanta’s sister Ratna carried the body on their own to the funeral ground. Amid outrage, Ganjam Collector Vijay Kulange on Monday took to Twitter and asked people not to believe in rumours. “Corona warrior died on way to hospital. Her husband brought dead body back. SDM Berhamour & tdr (tehsildar) reached the spot immediately. Swab was collected & dead body cremated with dignity. Please avoid rumours,” Kulange said in his tweet.
Asanta was a relentless worker who had dedicated herself to Kankarada though she stayed in Sriramnagar area of Berhampur. On Saturday, she felt uneasy and returned home. As her sickness grew, husband Dukhishyam called an ambulance but reportedly it did not turn up. With Ratna, Dukhishyam took Asanta in an auto-rickshaw to hospital where she was declared dead. The husband returned home for funeral but none in the locality came forward. With none coming to help, Dukhishyam approached former corporator Anil Nayak who informed the Sub-Collector and other officials.
As the process got delayed, they proceeded in the autorickshaw to crematorium near Sriramnagar. But the impatient auto driver, alighted the dead body and drove away. Dukhisyam asked Ratna to stay beside the body at a waste dumping yard while he went looking for firewood. This took time. As news of their plight spread, Berhampur Sub-Collector SD Bhausaheb along with a team of officials and Covid hospital staff took the Covid Warrior’s body to cremation site for funeral.
The victim’s husband Dukhishyam was given `5,000 from the Red Cross Fund. Her two sisters, who are anganwadi and ASHA workers respectively, had earlier tested positive and admitted to Covid hospital at Sitalapali. Besides her brother, who also tested positive, is undergoing t r e atment at KIMS, Bhubaneswar. Meanwhile, samples of Dukhishyam, his sister and mother were collected on the day. Though their reports are awaited, they were admitted to the Covid hospital as a precautionary measure.