This team of four from Anantpur step in when even relatives look away to bury COVID-19 victims

ANANTAPUR: Remember the Rajendra Prasad-starrer Telugu hit movie Aaa Naluguru — about the importance of human relations and the need for at least four people who will take part in the last journey of a person? At a time when even relatives refrain from taking part in the last rites of Covid-19 victims, a team of four from Hindupur in Anantapur district has been volunteering to perform the last rites of bodies abandoned in morgues.

The team swings into action whenever the administration finds it difficult to dispose of a body. “It is appalling that even the families of victims do not come forward to give them a decent farewell,” says Uday, convenor of the Life World Charitable Trust in Hindupur.

He has been performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies ever since he saw an abandoned infant being preyed on by stray dogs on a street in Hindupur. Inspired by Uday, Umar Farooq Khan, of the Muslim Nagara organisation, started performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies.

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, those who used to assist them backed out, leaving them with the support of just two friends, Sriramulu and Gangadhar. “We perform the last rites as per the religious tradition of the deceased. We do not look into caste, creed, or financial status,” Umar Farooq tells TNIE. Till date, the four have performed the last rites of over 50 Covid-19 victims both as individuals and as a team. Meanwhile, Uday himself has tested positive for coronavirus and is undergoing treatment. “I will continue the service once I recover,” he asserts.