A day after Padma Shri awardee Gurbani exponent and COVID-19 positive patient Bhai Nirmal Singh’s cremation was held at a secluded place instead of his native village’s crematorium amidst protest by villagers, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Friday made an appeal to the public to not to panic as cremation of COVID-19 positive patient’s body does not pose any additional threat.
Sidhu, moved by the incident that took place on Thursday wherein Bhai Nirmal Singh’s cremation was opposed owing to his demise from novel coronavirus, appealed to the people to not to oppose cremation of COVID-19 positive patient’s body.
Sensitizing the public, the crematorium and burial ground staff, Sidhu reiterated that the cremation has no adverse effects if proper protocols are adhered to. So much so that even the ash does not pose any risk and can even be collected to perform the last rites, he added.
“As per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the crematorium and burial ground staff need to ensure hand hygiene, use of masks and gloves,” he said.
Besides, the viewing of the dead body by unzipping the face end of the body bag (by the staff using standard precautions) may be allowed, for the relatives to see the body for one last time and religious rituals such as reading from religious scripts, sprinkling holy water, and any other last rites that does not require touching of the body are allowed, said Sidhu.
“But, the bathing, kissing, hugging of the dead body is not allowed and the funeral or burial staff and family members should perform hand hygiene after cremation or burial. Apart from this, large gathering at the crematorium or burial ground should be avoided as a social distancing measure,” he said.
Notably, the cremation of renowned spiritual singer, who died of COVID-19 on Thursday morning, could not be held for the entire day after the villagers of Verka village and crematorium authorities opposed arguing that it would spread the virus. The villagers gathered around the main cremation ground and locked its gates.
When the ambulance, carrying Bhai Nirmal Singh’s mortal remain, reached the cremation ground, a lot of people have gathered waiting there to stop the administration from bringing in the body.
After several hours of negotiations with the residents, a solution was found that his body may be cremated a few kilometres away from the cremation ground, on a secluded piece of land that is the common property of the council. At around 8:30 pm, he was cremated in a private field at Fatehgarh Shukar Chak village, two kms away. Is last rites were performed by Akal Takht head granthi Giani Malkeet Singh, along with Nirmal Singh’s son Amiteshwar Singh. The conduct of Verka residents was widely criticized on social media, with some users from Punjab even offering their own houses for the cremation. Even SAD chief Sukhbir Badal has also sought Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s intervention in the matter. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had also offered a local gurdwara for the cremation but by then, the alternative site had already been arranged.
Later, the residents of Verka had declared that they would build a memorial for Khalsa at the site of the cremation.