The cremation of bodies of two Covid-19 victims near the crematorium at Bhuinyadih under Sitaramdera police station early on Sunday morning took an ugly turn when violence erupted at the Subernarekha crematorium following slum dwellers’ violent opposition.
Two lady constables were seriously injured as the agitated bustee dwellers resorted to stone pelting at the police party which had gone along with the civic body officials for getting the bodies disposed off at about 5 am on Sunday.
The slum dwellers, including a large number of women were against the administration’s step to get the bodies cremated at the Subernarekha crematorium as they feared that the smoke from the bodies would cause the coronavirus to spread in the densely-populated slum.
The protest by the slum dwellers had got so violent that a worker who used to operate the crematorium had also gone missing, in favour of the protestors.
Sensing trouble, Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) under whose supervision the cremation of such bodies were to be performed brought in an operator from Parvati Burning Ghat in Bistupur. But the protesting residents did not allow him to enter the crematorium. The violence continued from 6 am till 8.30 am during which the protestors injured two lady constables by pelting stones along with creating ruckus.
However, the local administration called in former minister and Congress leader Dulal Bhuinya , also a local resident, who convinced the agitated people for allowing it to get the bodies disposed of. With a large number of police personnel, including lady police surrounding the cremation place, the bodies were cremated by 9 am.
A 71-year-old man who was a resident of Sonari died of Covid-19 at the Tata Main Hospital on Saturday at about 1 pm. About an hour later an 88-year-old woman who was admitted at the Tata Main Hospital died of pneumonia at the hospital. The hospital authority sent the swab sample of the deceased for examination to the MGM Medical College, where the test report came out Covid-19 positive at about 11 pm.
East Singhbhum district civil surgeon, RN Jha said that the 88-year-old woman who was a resident of Baradwari in Sakchi had been admitted at the Tata Main Hospital on June 21 for treatment of pneumonia, but three days after her admission, the patient had complaint of breathing problem she had been subjected to Coronavirus test result of which had come negative. She had, however, been shifted to an isolation ward at the Tata Main Hospital for the treatment of pneumonia. But after she died late on Saturday afternoon, as per the protocol, the administration got a swab sample for the test again. Incidentally, this time the swab sample of the deceased came positive at about 11 pm.
One member from each of the victim’s family was allowed to attend the cremation of the bodies. Incidentally, when the son of the 71-year-old deceased had come to his father’s body and even touched after he got emotional. On other hand the son of the 88-year-old woman deceased created a scene with the JNAC officials, arguing about the need for his presence there during the cremation.
