Locals oppose cremation of Covid patient in Jammu

JAMMU : Administrative inertia coupled with resistance by locals aggravated the miseries of the family of a 70-year-old retired special bureau officer, who died of coronavirus on Wednesday.

The family of the retired special bureau official had to run from pillar to post for cremating his mortal remains.

A senior doctor of Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, on the condition of anonymity, said, “After residents led by councillors of ward numbers 6 and 7 didn’t allow the deceased’s cremation at Jogi Gate crematorium on Wednesday night fearing that it would spread the infection in the area, the body was brought back to the mortuary of the hospital. On Thursday, it was taken to another facility in Shastri Nagar and finally cremated by the hospital staff in the presence of two family members of the deceased, including his son-inlaw.”

However, at Shastri Nagar crematorium also, the locals objected to the cremation, but the district officials and police intervened in time and the body was cremated under the supervision of a naib tehsildar, the senior doctor said.

‘CREMATION DONE AFTER CHIEF SECY’S INTERVENTION’

Sources said it was only after chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam’s intervention that the cremation of the former special bureau official took place.

The son-in-law of the deceased said, “A septuagenarian, who served the special bureau and worked for the country, deserved a dignified cremation and for that matter, whosoever dies, has the right of a decent burial or cremation,” he said.

‘HOSPITAL DENIED AMBULANCE AT FIRST’

The deceased’s son-in-law also cornered the hospital, saying that they initially refused to provide them an ambulance and their staff for the cremation.

The hospital authorities, however, rubbished the allegations and said that they immediately provided an ambulance to the family for transporting the body to the cremation ground.