NELLORE: Even as blood relations are abandoning bodies of their kin, who succumbed to Covid, Tirupati legislator Bhumana Karunakar Reddy arranged the last rites of 21 unclaimed bodies lying in the mortuary of Ruia Hospital at Tirupati on Wednesday.
He garlanded the decomposed bodies, most of which were emanating foul-smell, and handed them over to his followers, who are members of Muslim Joint Action Committee, for cremation.
Incidentally, the JAC team had performed last rites to 501 bodies during the first phase of Covid last year with the cooperation of Karunakar Reddy.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, he lamented that fearing infection people were leaving their kin in the lurch.
Stressing that financial constraints are not the reason for the relatives to ignore last rites, he said the fear over possible Covid infection has been keeping them away from lighting the pyre.
“I am above 60 years old. I have twice tested Covid positive. Yet I am not afraid to participate in funerals. My intention is to drive away baseless fears among people” he explained.
The MLA distributed PPE kits to all Muslim JAC members and was there when 21 bodies were being placed on Mahaprasthanam and JAC vehicles.
Tirupati civic body members Venkatesh, Narendra and SK Babu, chairman of Ruia Hospital development committee Chandrasekhar and superintendent Dr Bharathi was present.
