Mumbai: Covid-19 patient dies, BMC cremates his body without informing family

MUMBAI: Yet another family from Wadala has alleged that the civic and the police authorities cremated their
Covid-19 positive relative without even informing them.
On Sunday the BJP and former party MP Kirit Somaiya had also raised a similar issue where a 70-year-old coronavirus patient from Lalbaugh went missing from the KEM hospital after being kept on ventilator.
The fresh case pertains to the death of a 41-year-old real estate agent from Barkatali Naka in Wadala.
"On May 11, my son showed symptoms and tested positive for Covid-19 infection. As there was unavailability of beds, the BMC first put him under quarantine and later shifted him to Balasaheb Thackeray Truama care hospital in Jogeshwari. The doctors spoke to us and kept telling that he was given oxygen and is recovering till May 16.
The next day, when my son’s mobile was switched off and hence we called up the hospital only to know that he died on May 17 and when we went to claim his body, they said that the Wadala police cremated his body. How can they cremate him without informing the family?" asked the mother of the deceased.
The patient is survived by his mother and his wife.
"Without seeing my husband’s body, how can I believe that he is dead. And who are the police to perform his last rites?" said his wife.
The family have lodged a complaint with the Wadala police against the BMC, the hospital staff and the Wadala police.
The Wadala police have justified their stand.
"On May 16, the patient died. The hospital staff called us and informed that his family could not be contacted. So our team went to Barkatali Naka but the family had not given the proper address during the registration so they could not be traced. Hence, we informed the hospital about the situation. As there is a GR that bodies of Covid patients cannot be kept in morgue for more than 30 hours, the BMC decided to cremate the body as unclaimed body," said a senior inspector of Wadala police station.
Deputy commissioner of police (Port zone) Rashmi Karandikar said that patient’s body was cremated as per the Hindu rituals.
On the other hand, the family of the deceased claimed that they were kept in a quarantine centre in a BMC school and there house was locked.