Tirupati MLA conducts final rites for COVID-19 victims

Covid-19 affected bodies get formal adieu, as kin stay away

The mortal remains of Covid-19 affected persons get ready for funeral at SVRRGGH mortuary in Tirupati on Wednesday.

Tirupati MLA and YSR Congress leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy conducted the final rites to 21 persons who died of COVID-19.

Mr. Reddy, who himself recovered from COVID-19 twice last year, donning a PPE suit, carried the packed bodies in a procession.

He expressed regret over the manner in which even blood relations, gripped with a sense of fear and guilt, were watching the bodies of their beloved from a distance.

“When an entire family dies, the bodies lie unclaimed. This is not an economic issue, but a humanitarian issue. We have to get rid of the scare and give a decent farewell to the deceased, of course, by taking precautionary measures”, he added.

The array of packed bodies neatly arranged on the ground in front of the mortuary of Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGGH) painted a grim picture. The bodies were offered garlands and the rituals performed according to their social customs.

Maha Prasthanam, a Rotary Club-supported organisation took care of performing final rites to Hindu bodies, while Muslim JAC has shouldered the responsibility of buying the bodies of their community members.