COVID fear: Srikakulam villagers prevent cremation of infected body

Srikakulam: In yet another incident of most disturbing act, a group of villagers of Battili in Srikakulam district prevented the cremation of a 39-year-old-man, who died of Covid-19, at the regular cemeteries in the village citing that it would spread the virus.

As the villagers did not allow the last rites to be performed at four burial grounds, the sanitary workers and medical department personnel were forced to travel along with the Covid-19 victim’s body for hours in an ambulance on Friday.

As per the reports, the victim died of Covid-19 at Kotturu Hospital in Srikakulam on Friday. The sanitary workers, medical and health officials shifted the body to his hometown Battili to perform the last rites.

A group of villagers prevented the cremation of the Covid-19 victim. The same scene was repeated at all the four cemeteries in the village. Though the police and medical officials intervened, the locals didn’t allow the last rites to be performed. Finally, the dead body was buried in the farmland of the victim in the village on Friday evening.

Srikakulam district collector J. Nivas said he had given instructions to the revenue and police departments to lodge criminal cases against the group of villagers who prevented the cremation of the Covid-19 victim.