HC moved for decent burial of COVID-19 victims

Chennai, Apr 20 () Citing incidents of protests bylocals against burial of COVID-19 victims in their area overfears of spread of coronavirus, a PIL was filed in the MadrasHigh on Monday seeking to invoke provisions of the stringentGoondas Act against those indulging in such inhuman acts.

A decent burial/cremation was a fundamental right ofevery citizen of this country guaranteed under Article 21 ofthe Constitution and it cannot be denied under the garb ofprotests, petitioner A P Suryaprakasam, an advocate, said.

Authorities were prevented by residents of a locality inKilpauk here on Sunday from cremating the body of aneurologist who died of COVID-19 infection, he said in thepublic interest litigation petition, likely to be taken up forhearing this week.

The ambulance in which the body was taken and its driverwere attacked, he said adding such people have not onlyviolated law, but also committed a grave crime againsthumanity.

The failure on part of the police to register an FIR andarrest such people have emboldened them to deprive the victimsof COVID-19 a decent burial, he added.

He pleaded the court to direct the Chennai policeCommissioner to invoke provisions of the Goondas Act againstthose preventing burial of people who die of coronavirus andprovide adequate police protection.

Earlier this month, when a doctor from Nellore in AndhraPradesh died of COVID-19, his cremation was delayed afterresidents of a city area objected to it. The body had to betaken back to the hospital mortuary and later cremated inanother locality. CORRVS VS