Covid Stigma: Bodies Of Covid-19 Patients Carried On Cart, Cycle For Last Rites

Deogarh/ Bolangir: With Covid-19 disease expanding its fatal footprints across the State, more inhuman treatment to dead bodies keep on coming from various places in Odisha.

A heart-wrenching incident has been reported from Tileibani suguda village in Deogarh district where a dead body was carried on a bullock cart and cremated after remaining unattended for around nine hours.

Chandrasekhar Sahoo of Tileibani village had tested Covid-19 positive few days ago and had remained in home quarantine. His condition deteriorated yesterday following which family members called the covid care centre. However, Chandrasekhar succumbed to the deadly virus before the staff from the covid care centre reached the spot.

On the other hand, relatives, friends and neighbours had refused to lend shoulder to the deceased out of fear of infection. The family members called the civic body workers who came later and carried the body on a cart for cremation, wearing PPE kits.

Deogarh assistant Collector Kaibalya Kar admitted the delayed cremation. He said that neighbours and relatives had initially agreed to cremate the body but, later refused to do so which led to delay in the cremation.

A similar distressing picture also came from Bolangir district where a man was seen carrying his dead father’s body on a bicycle for cremation after relatives didn’t turn up to lend shoulder fearing infection.

The incident has been reported from Bhaludunguri village under Khaprakhol block in Bolangir. According to reports, 55-year-old Ayodhya Sahoo had succumbed to Covid-19 at Khaprakhol health centre. But, family members and relatives refused to assist his son in the cremation.

Ultimately, the deceased’s son Damodar Sahoo carried the body wrapped in a polythene on his cycle and covered around two kilometres to reach a nearby forest where he conducted the last rites alone.