After a treacherous wait of 38 long hours, family members of a 70-year-old patient, who died due to Covid-19 late Tuesday night, finally cremated him under the strict supervision of district authorities in Jammu on Thursday.
Earlier late Wednesday night, local residents of old city area of Jogi Gate, led by a local corporator prevented the family from performing last rites inside the cremation ground. Left with no choice, the dead body was shifted back to the designated mortuary in Government Medical college hospital.
Family members of the deceased patient alleged, "on Wednesday evening when they shifted the dead body from GMC, hospital around 8.30 p.m and reached near Jogi gate cremation ground, large number of local residents in the area accompanied by a local corporator prevented them from gaining access inside the ground for performing the last rites of the deceased patient".
On Thursday, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Jammu informed Assistant Medical Superintendent, GMCH that the cremation of dead body shall be done at 06:30.
However, it was delayed again. Family members initially alleged they were directed by the GMC authorities to arrange their own family members to shift the dead body to the cremation ground. However, J&K government spokesman in a statement said, "two attendants of the deceased arrived around 08:00 am but were not ready to assisting and shifting of the dead body". The spokesman said, the family member were convinced by the administration and members of their religious organisation for the same.
Following this, three sanitary workers and two attendants in full personnel protective gears shifted the dead body from Mortuary to the Ambulance for formal cremation at Shastri Nagar Cremation ground with the coordination of the local/civil administration at 09:40 am. Finally, the last rites of the covid-19 patient were performed around 11.00 a.m.