Karnataka: Inhumane mass burial of COVID-19 patients in Ballari
BANGALORE : Shocking visuals of bodies of Covid-19 victims in Ballari being dragged, hurled and dumped in a pit have triggered outrage and calls for action against the staff for dishonouring the dead.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Wednesday (July 1, 2020) said that six staff members have been suspended in connection with the inhumane funeral of a man who died of COVID-19 in Bellary.
In the video, the workers wearing personal protection equipment are seen bringing bodies in black sheets from a vehicle parked nearby and dropping one after another into the large pit, dug up with the help of an earth mover.
A man who posted the video first on YouTube claimed it happened in Ballari.
The incident came to light after a viral clip on social media showed the dead bodies of people dying of COVID-19 being dumped in Bellary.
The video showed health workers burying the bodies in a large pit.It went viral on social media drawing widespread condemnation over the manner in which the dead were handled and people demanded stringent action.
“In all, eight bodies were dumped in this fashion in a single pit,” an eye-witness claimed. Ballari deputy commissioner of S.S. Nakul, who said he has noticed the viral video in the social media, apologised to the family members.
“The district administration condemns the disrespectful handling of the bodies while being lowered onto the ground by the field staff.
The entire field team involved has been disbanded and will be replaced by a new team trained by the Head of the Department, Forensic, Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences,” he said in a press release.
Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar also shared the video on his Twitter account and wrote, “It’s disturbing to see bodies of COVID patients who have died being dumped inhumanly into a pit in Ballari.
Is this civility? This is a reflection of how the govt has handled this Corona crisis. I urge the govt to take immediate action and ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
Reportedly, the same treatment is being done to the COVID-19 victims’ bodies in Davanagere and Yadgir and an inquiry has also been ordered in this regard.
According to the Union Health Ministry, Karnataka has witnessed a total of 15,242 coronavirus confirmed cases, out of which 7,078 are still active, while 246 have succumbed to the fatal virus.
(With Agency Inputs ).
