Kolkata: Amid Covid-19, viral video of unclaimed bodies for cremation triggers protest, Governor slams authorities

In the video shot by some locals, it was seen that few men were dragging one after another uncovered decomposed bodies from Garia Adi Mahasasan (crematorium) using a grappling-iron and inserting those bodies into a covered van belonging to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

According to locals, the incident took place on Wednesday afternoon when some KMC personnel came to the crematorium with those decomposed bodies. 
 
Guessing that those were the bodies of Covid-19 patients, locals staged massive protest at the area, closed the main gate of Garia crematorium and forced the KMC men to leave the place with those bodies as they did not want to allow the cremation of 'suspected' Covid-19 victims'  there.

"When we saw those decomposed bodies were being taken inside the crematorium, we got scared and had started agitating," a local man told IBNS.

"Our one and only demand was we would not allow the cremation of suspected Covid-19 patients' bodies at Garia Adi Mahasasan," he added.

Later, police force from Bansdroni Police Station, former CPI-M councillor of the area and TMC leaders rushed to the scene and amid the massive agitation, it was decided not to cremate those bodies there and to return those to the morgue.

When those bodies were being pulled with a grappling-iron in an improper manner, some locals captured its video and later posted it on social media platforms.

Later, several social media posts were spotted where it was claimed that those were the bodies of Covid-19 victims and state authorities were trying to cremate those secretly.

Former CPI-M councillor of KMC's Ward No. 111, Chayan Bhattacharya, claimed that he was not informed by the government or corporation about the disposal of multiple bodies at Garia crematorium.

"I don't have any technical support to confirm whether those bodies were of Covid-19 patients or not, what I can say is I was not informed by the state authorities about the disposal of 'unidentified and unclaimed' bodies at Garia Mahasasan," Bhattacharya said.

Following the incident, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed his anguish on Twitter and sought a detailed report from the state home secretary.

"Anguished at disposal of dead bodies with heartless indescribable insensitivity. Not sharing videos due to sensitivity. Have sought an URGENT UPDATE from the Home Secretary. In our society dead bodies are accorded highest respect-rituals are performed as per tradition," Dhankhar wrote on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

Hours later, the Governor tweeted again and said that he was verbally updated by the state government about the incident.

"Response from West Bengal Home Secretary has come. Virtual admission about callous handling of dead bodies promising procedure will be streamlined. Rather than booking those responsible for such inhuman criminality, police is being misused to ‘teach a lesson’ to those who exposed it," Jagdeep Dhankhar posted on his Twitter handle.

Reacting on the incident, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, "Shocked to watch bodies being dragged in such inhuman manner."

"All bodies, including unclaimed bodies, deserve respect during their last rites, and the administration should have handled those bodies carefully with respect," Ghosh added.

Meanwhile, quoting the state health department, the Kolkata Police also claimed that those were 'unclaimed and unidentified' bodies and the city police also threatened to take legal action against those who were claiming those bodies were of Covid-19 victims.

"West Bengal Health Department has informed that dead bodies were not of COVID patients, but were unclaimed/ unidentified bodies from Hospital Morgue. Legal action is being taken against persons spreading #FakeNews," Kolkata Police tweeted.

Meanwhile, Shaibal Kumar Mukherjee, the Principal of central Kolkata's Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital from where those bodies were taken to Garia crematorium for disposal, on Thursday submitted a complaint before the city police, urging them to take action as some fake news were being circulated on social media regarding the disposal of 'unidentified and unclaimed' bodies.

"This has come to the notice of the understanding that a video clip has gone viral in social media showing bodies being disposed from NRS Morgue and the video has claimed that these are bodies of COVID patients, being disposed furtively," the complaint read.

"The fact is 14 numbers of unclaimed bodies were handed over to the KMC authority as per list given by different police stations of our Morgue's jurisdiction. And none of these dead bodies were of COVID patients. The subject of the video is fake and you may please take necessary action in this regard," it further read.

Quoting the NRS Medical College's Principal's complaint, the Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Crime), Murlidhar Sharma, also confirmed that those were unidentified and unclaimed bodies and those were not of Covid-19 patients.

"We have received a letter from NRS Medical College and Hospital that those bodies where we have been informed that those were unidentified and unclaimed bodies, and definitely not of Covid patients," Murlidhar Sharma said.

"As per protocol, hospitals usually send such bodies for cremation after a period of two weeks (15 days) if no claimant comes forward," the senior IPS official added.

Meanwhile, IBNS also accessed an order issued by KMC's Chief Municipal Health Officer (CMHO) on May 29 where it was mentioned that unclaimed bodies would be cremated at Garia crematorium, instead of Dhapa crematorium as the second one is being used exclusively for cremation of Covid-19 bodies.

"As per directives of Hon'ble Chairman, Board of Administrator henceforth the unclaimed dead bodies will be cremated at Garia Adi Mahasasan (Furnace No. 4), while Dhapa Crematorium will be exclusively used for cremation of Covid-19 Hindu corpse," the KMC May 29 order read.

KMC's Board of Administrator's chairman, Firhad Bobby Hakim, also confirmed that those were unclaimed bodies and not of Coivd-19 patients.