Families in Odisha bereaved by COVID-19 are often unable to bid a dignified farewell to their loved ones as neighbours and relatives avoid them due to stigma and fear of infections. A number of instances of people shunning the time-honoured solidarity that keeps communities together has left everyone worried.
No help
At Shergarh town in Ganjam district, the body of a retired teacher was kept lying in a house for hours after his death on July 21, but neither relatives nor neighbours turned up to lend a helping hand. Since his offspring were away from Shergarh, the widow, an elderly lady, could not shift the body. Four journalists then took the matter into their own hands. They donned PPE (personal protective equipment) and took out the body from the house. The body was later sent to Berhampur where the last rites were performed with the help of unknown volunteers.
“Good neighbours are those who help before they are asked. Now, neighbours shut doors before they are asked. In this case, there was no proof of the old man being infected with the virus and he died due an age-related issue. Still, no one turned up,” said Meghanad Das, a journalist who works for a vernacular daily.
Denied a place
In neighbouring Kandhamal district, Sapana Kumar Pradhan, a practising doctor, suddenly took ill on Wednesday and died while being rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital at Phulbani. When family members returned to the Malikapodi village with the body, fellow villagers opposed providing them with space for a burial. Although family members tried to clarify that he was not infected with COVID-19, their appeals fell on deaf ears.
As the uncertainty continued, the administration stepped in and tried to bury the body in another place. Residents of the other village too opposed the move. For 12 hours, family members did not know what to do with the body.
“It is really unfortunate that my brother was robbed of his dignity after his death. Nobody knew if my brother was a COVID-19 patient and yet we were treated badly by our fellow villagers,” said Sumit Pradhan, brother of the deceased. Finally, the doctor was buried near a forest.
Abandoned
In another tragic incident in Mayurbhanj district, a son had to carry his father’s body on a bike as a private car fled from the spot following the death. The deceased, a 56-year-old Postal Department employee in Purnachandrapur village under Amarda block, had complained of chest pain on July 7. When his condition deteriorated, he was taken to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Before his admission, he had to undergo a COVID-19 test, which returned positive. His wife also tested positive.
After his recovery on July 20, his son brought him home by a hired car as an ambulance was not available. On the way, the father lost consciousness and doctors at a Government Hospital declared him dead. On hearing the news of his death, the driver of the car sped away from the spot. The son was unable to find a hearse service. He stacked his father’s body on a motorcycle and brought it to cremation ground for last rites.
