KURNOOL: Kurnool administration continues to face problems in burial of bodies of Covid victims. On Tuesday night, locals of Prajanagar Colony, located on the outskirts of Kurnool city, pelted stones on civic officials and police personnel, who had gone to bury/cremate bodies of victims near Jagannatha Gattu. This led to the police resorting to lathi-charge to disperse the agitating locals.

It is learnt that the officials, however, managed to perform the last rites of one victim amid protests, while another body was taken back to Kurnool Government General Hospital. Dr Srihari, a GGH official, told

TNIE that the locals attacked the staff when they were trying to bury a Covid victim. “The ambulance driver was injured in this incident and the vehicle was also damaged. The staff, however, escaped with the help of police and returned with one body,” he added. 

The district administration had earlier faced a similar situation, when they tried to bury a victim at a burial ground near Budhavaripet. This led to the burial at a dumping yard in Gargeyapuram. A day ago, Munugalapadu villagers and Kodumur MLA M Manigandi stopped the municipal staff from burying a body on their village premises. Since last week, Puduru villagers have been regularly observing vigil in the night time to prevent the administration from going against their will. 

As such, the administration has decided to bury bodies in the government land at Jagannatha Gutta hillocks. On Tuesday night, they took two bodies to the said area. However, a youth noticed the ambulance entering the locality and confronted the policemen accompanying the staff. He left and came back with around 300 locals who alleged that the burial would contaminate their locality. On Wednesday morning, locals once again gathered and staged a protest against the police. “One body was buried and the collector has directed the hospital staff to continue burial procedures at the identified site,” Kurnool rural CI Srinath Reddy said.