SILCHAR, July 30 - In a move to dispel the stigma and allay fear among masses that COVID-19 virus spreads from dead bodies of tested positive victims, Silchar MLA Dilip Kumar Paul along with Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and other officials attended funeral of a septagenerian COVID-19 casualty at the smashan ghat here on Wednesday night. Sources said that this was the first instance when a COVID-19 casualty was cremated at the local crematorium.
Talking to mediapersons, Dilip Kumar Paul said, � I have spoken to the worried locals who had opposed the steps taken by the Government for the cremation. Sharing the message that the virus does not spread from corpse, I have convinced them that while my own family members reside around the vicinity of the crematorium, I would never want anyone to be affected. The bodies are packed with utmost care and hygeiene and there is no precedence that dead bodies emanate COVID-19. Sons of the departed person performed the last rites wearing PPE kits as per guidelines.�
Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli too spoke to the residents and said, � We also have families at home, yet we have come here wearing facecovers. Had there been any such possibility of a spread, we would have come wearing PPE kits. There is no reason to fear or panic once a COVID-19 patient succumbs to the disease since there are no chances of contamination spreading from such a dead body. The national guidelines on how to handle dead bodies are being strictly adhered to.The COVID-19 victims must be given the last respects at the time of cremation or burial.�
Earlier, locals of Subhash Nagar area staged a protest demonstration opposing the decision by the Government to cremate body of an elderly person whose death was confirmed to be due to COVID -19 . �The area surrounding the Silchar crematorium is residential and we will not allow any COVID casualty to be creamated here,� argued the locals.
