Disrespectful disposal of Covid-19 bodies triggers outrage in Andhra Pradesh
Tirupati: Another case of burial of COVID-19 victims in common graves has come to light in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. In the third such incident reported in Andhra Pradesh in the past one month, an earth mover was used to drop multiple bodies into a single grave near the Pennar river close to Madaraju Gudur in Nellore district.
Two similar incidents took place in Srikakulam and Chittoor districts.
A video of the Nellore district incident went viral on social media. It shows workers wearing PPE kits taking out three bodies from an ambulance and throwing them into the excavator of an earth mover, and dumping them in the pit.
The video has caused a public outrage and Nellore collector M.V. Seshagiri Babu has ordered a probe into it by revenue divisional officer (RDO) Hussain Saheb.
The workers who dumped the bodies are said to be those contracted by the Nellore Municipal Corporation. “Jana Sena party workers recorded the episode on their mobile phones and forwarded us the same, which we shared on social media platforms,” said Kethamreddy Vinod Reddy, a Jana Sena leader.
Former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu tweeted that he was pained to see the bodies being disrespectfully thrown into a single pit using an earth mover. “This is happening time & again. Y.S. Jagan government must offer an apology to the grieving families who wished for a respectful departure for their loved ones," he tweeted.
Minister P Anil Kumar Yadav expressed anger at the callous treatment of COVID-19 victims and directed that stern action be taken against those responsible.
