Tirupati: Muslim JAC conducts last rites of 21Covid victims' bodies
MLA B Karunakar Reddy placing a wreath on a Covid victim's body as part of performing last rites, in Tirupati on Wednesday
Tirupati: In a laudable gesture, the city-based NGO Muslim JAC on Wednesday organised the funeral for 21 bodies of Covid victims.
MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy on his part joined with the Muslim JAC members bidding adieu to the bodies of Covid victims while they were set out on the final journey at SVRR mortuary where the hospital authorities handed over the bodies to the leaders of Muslim JAC for holding the funeral. MLA placed wreaths on the mortal remains of the Covid victims and prayed for the departed souls and lend his hand to carry the bodies to place them in the ambulances.
The bodies were later taken to Mamandur, a forest fringe village, 20 km from the city where the authorities allocated a site for the burial of Covid victims' bodies.
Speaking on the occasion, the MLA said he joined in conducting the funeral to Covid victims as a token of his appreciation to the Muslim JAC coming forward to take up the responsibility of conducting the funerals of bodies of Covid victims get a dignified send off on their final journey.
This was also to dispel the unnecessary fears surrounding the Covid victims' bodies deterring even their kith and kin taking up their bounden duty of atleast paying last respects and rites to the bodies.
MLA on the occasion give away PPE kits to Muslim JAC members involved in organising funeral to unclaimed bodies.
Muslim JAC leaders S Ghouse, Sheik Inam and others said that after coming to know the difficulties the families of Covid victims facing in conducting the funeral, the JAC took up the responsibility of organising the funeral as per the customs of the victims since last year during the Covid pandemic and continuing it . So far, they said the JAC saw funerals conducted to about 501 bodies left in the city hospitals including from other districts.
Hospital sources said many relatives more so the poor are reluctant to take over the bodies of their Covid victims for funeral as they are not in a position to perform the rituals for want of financial resources or due to the fear of pandemic, leaving it unclaimed in the hospitals.
The number of such unclaimed bodies was more here as patients from others districts who were being brought to the two major hospitals SVIMS state Covid hospital and SVRR for better treatment, explained a senior hospital official.