Weeks after dozens of dead bodies horrifyingly washed up the shores of river Ganga, a shocking video has surfaced showing a covid deceased being thrown into a river in Uttar Pradesh. The CMO claimed that the act was committed by the patient’s family members as the body was handed over to them.
Previously, thousands of bodies were getting buried in shallow graves near Ganga, most of which were swept away by the waters. After the incident, the Centre ordered many northern states to ensure rivers don’t become the disposal hub for dead bodies. It also wrote to the state governments to increase the patrolling at riverbanks for monitoring the area and incidence of such acts.
The latest Uttar Pradesh incident was brought to light after a few commuters driving by witnessed two men trying to push a plastic-covered body into the river. He captured the same on mobile phone which then got viral on social media and reached the government.
It took place on May 28th in Balrampur district of UP. In the video, two men, one wearing a PPE suit, can be seen aiming to dump a body on the bridge over river Rapti. One of them was then seen tampering with the bag the body was in, what appears to be an attempt to remove the body from the bag and throw it.
When the video got the attention of authorities, Chief Medical Officer of Balrampur confirmed to the media that the body did belong to a covid patient who passed away on May 28th. He said the patient’s family was attempting to throw the body into the river. While a case has been lodged against them, the body was retrieved and given back to the family for proper cremation.
ALSO READ:-Bollywood Reacts To Floating Bodies in Ganga; Nearly 100 Bodies Found Till Now
Balrampur Chief Medical Officer VB Singh said, “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the patient was admitted to hospital on May 25, and he died three days later on May 28. As per Covid protocol, the body was handed over to his relatives. Preliminary investigations reveal that the relatives threw the body into the river. We have filed a case and strict action will be taken.”
The practice of dumping covid patients in rivers seem to be a result of poverty and lack of awareness over its consequences. The incident that remained headlines for days were reported from parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from where hundreds of bodies were retrieved. 71 bodies were found from the riverbank of Buxar district alone.
Thousands of other bodies were found buried in the sandbanks of Ganga. Local authorities said these bodies must have floated up during the high tide.
This wasn’t the first time when such an incident was captured on camera. Many people shared videos on social media platforms where bodies were being thrown into rivers from ambulances that stopped at a bridge in Saran district near Bihar’s border.
The episode took a turn when Bihar and UP started blaming each other for the practice after locals said the ambulances were from both states.
Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat tweeted, “We have taken serious note of the issue of dumping dead bodies in River Ganga and instituted measures for the prohibition of the same. The Centre through the NMCG and district authorities will ensure all unidentified bodies are disposed of as per the protocol”.
In a continuation of the Centre’s letter to the states, it also told them to dispose the covid bodies as per the protocols and send a compliance report in 14 days. The same was tweeted by Mr Shekhawat who controls the Central Jal Shakti ministry.
