When ‘Kottur’ Peer Masthan, Tirunelveli district general secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India, received a phone call around 1.30 a.m. on last Tuesday from a stranger, all he could hear for the first couple of minutes was weeping of a man and a woman. After a while, the stranger started speaking. “My father, a COVID-19 positive patient, died in Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital a few minutes ago. Please help us to bury him as we’re also in the TVMCH after being tested positive for the virus.”
He contacted his colleagues and explained to them about the spicy situation in which the distressed family from Alangulam in Tenkasi district has landed. They got ready within next few minutes and rushed to the TVMCH along with an ambulance.
Health Department officials too contacted Mr. Masthan for the same help. Even as the inconsolably wailing family was standing at a distance, the SDPI cadre received the body and buried it at Alangulam as per the protocol developed by the World Health Organisation for handling bodies of COVID-19 patients and after conducting prayers as per Christianity as the deceased was a Christian.
A few days ago, SDPI cadre cremated another body, a Hindu, at Sindhupoondurai crematorium near Tirunelveli Junction, after the viral infection claimed his life and kept his family away from conducting last rites.
“The SDPI’s team has so far conducted last rites of 13 victims - 6 Muslims, 6 Hindus and a Christian - from Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi districts,” says SDPI’s Ghani. The SDPI has kept six teams, each having well-trained eight members, to perform last rites. It has adequate number of Personal Protection Equipment kits for handling victims.
“We would require 40 metres of white cloth for each burial. Moreover, three bags of bleaching powder (each bag costs about ₹ 800) would be poured in the pit in layers. If the deceased is a Christian, we’ll have to spend ₹ 4,000 for the coffin also,” says Mr. Ghani.
However, the SDPI takes only the fuel cost of the ambulance if the body had to be transported from the TVMCH to the native place of the deceased.
After carrying a body, the ambulance is disinfected completely for which they have to spend ₹ 1,500 each time. After performing last rites, the team involved in the exercise is quarantined for a week when they are given nutritious food, fruits and vitamin tablets. In spite of all these expenses, the SDPI volunteers, without any hesitation, handle the body at any time with dedication.
On the intervention of SDPI’s Indian Social Forum in Saudi Arabia, a Hindu family from Radhapuram recently managed to bring the body of R. Balakrishnan, 31, of Saamy Kovil Street in Koodankulam.
As the mortal remains reached Thiruvananthapuram airport, the SDPI sent its ambulance to bring the body to Koodankulam.
For ambulance services, Mr. Masthan may be contacted at 96886 44683, 96886 44688
