Inappropriate Handling Of COVID-19 Victims' Bodies In Karnataka Causes Furore

BENGALURU: A video showing health care workers in appropriate handling of some bodies of COVID-19 patients wrapped in a plastic bag triggered a huge outrage on social media. The incident took place in Ballari district of Karnataka. The video shows health care workers wearing personal protection equipments and are seen bringing bodies wrapped in black coloured sheets from a vehicle parked nearby. The dead bodies are thrown into the large pit dug up. The video went viral on social media. The undignified and insensitive handling of dead bodies disturbed a lot of people. The incident raises many questions if health care workers are being properly trained on the standard guidelines of managing and disposing of coronavirus positive bodies. Here is the video.

BEWARE!
By chance, if you or your family members die because of COVID-19, this is how the BJP Govt. in Karnataka throws away your body with many others into a single pit!
This is the 'well-planned COVID management' that the Govt. talks about everyday in the media! pic.twitter.com/jwIfhrcjN1

— Janata Dal Secular (@JanataDal_S) June 30, 2020

Ballari Deputy Commissioner Collector SS Nakul that, "We are inquiring into this issue, the dead bodies are packaged properly but we have to look at it on humanitarian grounds. Individual cremation must be done." He further added that awareness has to be created on the respectful handling of bodies and action will be taken very soon.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa reacted and said that the behaviour of the health care workers is "inhuman and painful". He urged all the staff to handle the dead bodies of COVID-19 patients cautiously and with humanity.

Earlier, a few days ago, a 42-year-old Chennai man who died of COVID-19 in Puducherry was callously dumped into a pit by municipality workers. The video of this incident also went viral on social media causing anguish among the people.

India Against Corruption said in a statement that "Dignified disposal of a dead body is a matter of right. Such an insult to a dead person is an offence under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. The health workers along with those supervisory staff are punishable with a penalty for defamation of deceased person."

The government of India issued guidelines for the handling of the bodies of COVID-19 victims. One of the guidelines says that, "It is very important to place the dead body in a leak-proof plastic body bag. The exterior of the body bag can be decontaminated with a one percent hypochlorite solution".