SURAT: Parin
Shah (27) a banking professional, had to take the body of his 60-year-old mother
Bhadra for cremation in a hand cart on Saturday night in
Olpad village as the local panchayat refused to give him hearse van.
The panchayat leaders refused to give van since his mother died due to Covid-19. They were also against allowing use of the village crematorium for Covid-19 positive people but after mounting pressure for long the deceased's family got keys. Videos of the body being carried in hand kart also went viral.
Shah's mother died at 7 pm in the evening and since she died of Covid-19 infection, his family and neighbours insisted that the body should be cremated at the earliest. Shah struggled for the van for over three and half hours and after failing to get it he took the body on a hand cart.
"The crematorium is around three kilometres away from my home. Since my mother was Covid-19 positive we did not ask relatives to join in large numbers and it was difficult for only four people to take her for cremation without a vehicle," Shah told TOI.
"The van is in non working condition and it is in the garage. We don't give permission for cremation of Covid-19 bodies in our crematorium. It can infect other people in the village hence I was denied to give keys of crematorium initially," said
Kamlesh Patel, vice-president of Olpad Gram Panchayat.
"The panchayat leaders are lying. Further the vice president gave the crematorium key only after pressure by other elders of the village," Shah added.