Kolkata: Another Covid body lies unattended for 18 hours

After the Amherst Street case on Wednesday, this time a case has emerged in Gauribari area of North Kolkata where the body of a 58-yearold man was lying in a sweet shop for close to 18 hours after he died of Covid-19. The patient died on Wednesday and his body was taken away at 12pm on Thursday.

People in the area claimed the government hospitals did not want to issue a death certificate even after declaring him dead. Police conducted a check and after 18 hours, the body was removed.

The 58-year-old sweet shopowner hailed from Singur in Hooghly district of West Bengal and lived with the employees in the sweet shop. The man fell ill a few weeks ago and underwent a test for Covid-19 at a private laboratory on June 29. Residents of Gauribari area claimed the sweet shop-owner’s health

deteriorated on Wednesday afternoon. The victim was first taken to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead. However, locals claimed the doctors did not want to issue a death certificate.

The deceased’s brother claimed doctors said they would not issue a death certificate after receiving his test report. Doctors asked for an autopsy report to issue a death certificate. The locals and his brother were asked to take the body to a local doctor.

They claim they then returned to the area with the body. But, when they contacted a local doctor, his brother was told, the doctor would issue a death certificate after seeing the Covid-19 report.

Police advised the people to wait for the report. Hence, the body kept lying in the shop for 18 hours. The Covid19 test report on Thursday morning indicated the man was positive. Then around 12 noon the state health department staff came and removed the body. The sweet shop at Gauribari was disinfected after removing the body of the deceased while other employees of the shop have been quarantined.