Bharti took the body to Nigambodh Ghat for the final rites.

“If there was a way for me to do it without putting others at risk, I wouldn’t have hesitated even for a second,” said Dinesh Soni, who lost his father last week.

His father, 87-year old K L Soni, died at Lok Nayak Hospital, 11 days after it was confirmed that he had Covid-19. With five out of seven family members also infected and in home isolation, the octogenarian’s body remained in the morgue for four days till area MLA Somnath Bharti carried out the cremation on Tuesday.

“What choice did I have? The two people in my house who did not have the infection were my younger daughter and my sister-in-law. This was not something they could have done. Other relatives were not in Delhi. I did not want to ask any of my friends because if they fell ill, I would not be able to get rid of the guilt,” said Soni.

One of his friends asked him to get in touch with Bharti. Officials said that a body can be claimed either by a family member or someone who has been authorised by them.

“I finally spoke to the MLA who assured me help. We gave an authorisation letter. He assured me he would do everything he could. It took some running around on his part, but on Tuesday, he was the one who lit the pyre. I have no words to explain what it means to me,” he said.

Bharti, the Malviya Nagar MLA, said it was a tough time for the family and this was the only way he could help them.

“If I call the residents of the area my family members, I also have to fulfil responsibilities. The family was in a situation wherein if they left their house, they would have put others at risk. They were conscious of that, but helpless. We got the paperwork completed by Monday and on Tuesday, my team members and I took the body to Nigambodh Ghat and completed the final rites,” he said.