As the fear of coronavirus spread has gripped the nation, a youth in Bhopal has refused to cremate his father who died from COVID-19 infection. The cremation was done by Tehsildar Gulab Singh.
"Prem Singh who was tested COVID-19 positive died on April 20. At that time his family including his wife, son, and his brother-in-law had said that they would do the cremation in the morning as per Hindu rituals. However, in the morning they backtracked," Singh told .
He further said, "I tried to convince the son to do funeral rites while wearing personal protection equipment (PPE) kit. However, he was scared of getting the infection and his mother too supported his decision. Hence, I along with some other people did the funeral of Prem Singh."
The family was present during the funeral but stayed at a distance, he added.
The Tehsildar said that though he conducted the funeral to respect with the sentiments of the family, "the reason behind such fear is lack of awareness towards measures that can prevent the spread of coronavirus."
According to government guidelines, friends and family of a person who has died from Covid-19 infection can view the body, but not touch, hug or kiss the deceased.
( With inputs from ANI )