A day after the mass burial of COVID-19 victims at Ballari in a disrespectful manner created outrage, another incident at Yadgir has also provoked public anger. A video that surfaced on Wednesday shows the body of a COVID-19 patient being dragged for over 200 metres before being buried in a trench in Yadgir district.
The incident is said to have occurred after locals refused to allow the burial of the body of a 48-year-old from Honagera village in Yadgir district. Additional Deputy Commissioner Prakash Rajput told The Hindu that the District Health Officer has been asked to conduct an enquiry and submit a report. He added that action would be initiated if they were found to have not followed protocol.
Six suspended
Meanwhile, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday that action had been initiated against those responsible for the Ballari incident and he would take measures to prevent the recurrence of such episodes. He pointed out that the Deputy Commissioner had already tendered an unconditional apology over the issue. Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakhar said the six persons associated with the episode had been suspended.
Authorities in Ballari have confirmed that it was the mortuary staff who had dragged all the bodies and dumped them in a large trench at a government graveyard on Guggarahatti Road on the outskirts of Ballari district.
Staff replaced
Following the inquiry ordered under the Additional Deputy Commissioner, the district administration has disbanded the team involved in the act and replaced it by a new team trained under the Forensic Department at Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS).
The Ballari district administration expressed regret at the manner in which the bodies were handled by the mortuary staff.