A video has gone viral on social media with claims that the civic workers of the Kolkata Municipal corporation were dragging out decomposed bodies from the Garia crematorium after local residents protested of bad odour. Social media users have also alleged that these rotten bodies seen being pulled out with ropes, were those of Covid patients.
Video of unclaimed decomposed body being dragged in Kolkata goes viral on social media
Sharing the un-dated video on the microblogging site Twitter, ABP News journalist Vikas Bhaduria also claimed that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation brought 13 decomposed bodies to Garia crematorium to burn them, but they had to take them back after locals objected due to the foul smell these rotten dead bodies were emitting.
Locals claimed that there is only one chimney inside the premises and burning so many decomposed bodies at a time the city is facing Covid-19 outbreak could be detrimental.
तस्वीरें विचलित कर सकती हैं-कोलकाता नगर निगम 13 बुरी तरह सड़े हुए शवों को जलाने के लिए न्यू गोरिया श्मशान घाट लाया, उनसे तेज़ दुर्गंध उठ रही थी,स्थानीय निवासियों के विरोध के चलते लाशों को वापस ले जाना पड़ा, शवों के साथ अमानवीय और शर्मनाक व्यवहार, सरकार के असभ्य रवैये का प्रतीक है pic.twitter.com/f7PWS1Y7O3
— Vikas Bhadauria (ABP News) (@vikasbha) June 11, 2020
NRS called the subject of viral video fake, writes to Kolkata Police Commissioner
Soon after this video went viral, West Bengal Government-run NRS medical College Principal wrote to the Kolkata Police Commissioner calling the subject of the video in circulation “fake”. In the letter, Saibal Kumar Mukherjee, the Principal of NRS medical college said that he was writing the letter to bring to the notice of Kolkata Police that “a video clip has gone viral on social media showing “decomposed bodies being disposed of NRS morgue and the video claims that these are bodies of Covid patients being disposed of furtively.”
Calling the subject of the viral video, fake, Mukherjee wrote: “The fact is 14 unclaimed bodies were being handed over to the KMC authority as per list given by different Police Stations of our Morgue’s jurisdiction. NRS principal added, “none of these bodies was of Covid patients.” Although the letter didn’t refute the claim that bodies were decomposed and were emitting foul smell.
Times Now has quoted Joint CP (Crime), Murli Dhar, as saying: “We have received a letter from Health Department where they have informed us that bodies were basically unidentified/unclaimed bodies. Hospital, as per protocol, sends such bodies for cremation after a period of 15 days if no claimant comes forward.”
“In an order dated 29th May, Kolkata Municipality had given directives to cremate unclaimed dead bodies in Garia Adi Mahasasan furnace number 4, while Dhapa will be exclusively used for cremating Covid-19 Hindu corpse”, read the Kolkata Municipal Corporation order dated May 29, 2020.
West Bengal Minister and KMC Board of Administrators’ Chairman Firhad Hakim said the bodies were not of Covid patients. He added that, so far, unclaimed bodies were being cremated in Dhapa but since that infrastructure is being used for COVID-19 fatalities, crematoriums in Kalighat and Garia are being used for unclaimed bodies.
Response @HomeSecretaryWB has come. Virtual admission about callous handling of dead bodies promising procedure will be stream lined.
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) June 11, 2020
Rather than booking those responsible for such inhuman criminality, police is being misused to ‘teach a lesson’ to those who exposed it.(1/3)
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar who had earlier sought a report on the issue from the Home Secretary and expressed anguish at disposal of dead bodies, has now slammed the West Bengal government for misusing the state police for ‘teaching a lesson’ to those who exposed it rather than “booking those responsible for such inhuman criminality”.
