Outrage after clip shows bodies being dumped in a pit
BENGALURU: A video, purportedly showing health workers inappropriately burying bodies of Covid-19 victims in a large pit in Ballari district of Karnataka, surfaced on social, drawing widespread condemnation from citizens.
A top official of Ballari, which is also home to state health minister B Sriramulu, said they are inquiring into the incident.
BENGALURU: A video, purportedly showing health workers inappropriately burying bodies of Covid-19 victims in a large pit in Ballari district of Karnataka, surfaced on social, triggering an outrage among residents of the state.
A top official of Ballari district, which is also home to state health minister B Sriramulu, said they are inquiring into the incident.
In the video, the workers, wearing personal protective equipment, are seen bringing bodies wrapped in black sheets from a vehicle parked nearby and dropping them, one after another, into a large pit, dug up with the help of an earthmover.
A man who posted the video, first on YouTube, claimed the incident took place in Ballari. The video went viral on social media, drawing widespread condemnation over the manner in which the dead were handled and people demanding stringent action against those responsible for the incident.
“In all, eight bodies were dumped in this fashion in a single pit,” an eyewitness claimed.
Ballari’s deputy commissioner, SS Nakul, said he has taken notice of the viral video. “We have ordered an inquiry,” he told reporters in Ballari on Tuesday.
The district reported 12 Covid-19 deaths on Monday. Nakul said five more people succumbed to the coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the total fatalities in the district to 29 until now.
In a similar incident, the body of a 44-year old Covid-19 victim was thrown into a pit in Puducherry earlier this month, triggering public outrage, following which a few health workers were suspended.
WORKERS DROPPED BODIES, WRAPPED IN BLACK SHEETS, INTO A LARGE PIT, AS SEEN IN THE VIDEO, ALLEGEDLY SHOT IN BALLARI