Cremation put off following protest by local residents

Right issues: Local residents stage a sit-in on the road leading to the municipal crematorium at Muttambalam in Kottayam district.

The funeral of an elderly man, who became the first casualty of COVID-19 in the district, had to be put on hold on Sunday as wary residents near a public crematorium at Muttambalam staged a road blockade to stop the cremation.

The episode began to unfold in the evening, after the district administration decided to cremate Ouseph George, 83, at the crematorium under the Kottayam municipality. However, those residing near the crematorium blocked the entry to the cremation ground, citing that the facility was located in a thickly populated area and that the infection could spread among the people owing to the cremation.

Though the police tried to convince them that their fears were misplaced, the irate protesters refused to budge. Following this, a police team forcibly removed the barricades erected by the protesters.

The situation, however, escalated further as the protesters, led by local councillor T.N. Hari Kumar, staged a sit-in on the road leading to the cremation ground. “The authorities have failed to consider the local sentiment. They should either take the body to some isolated location or to the cemetery of the parish church where the deceased person belongs to,” the councillor said.

Meanwhile, official sources said the church had earlier denied permission to bury the body in its cemetery citing lack of space. However, no confirmation was available on this.

Talks ineffective

Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, municipal chairperson P.R. Sona, and district panchayat president Sebastian Kulathungal, who rushed to the spot, held discussions with the protesters, to no avail.

Their suggestion to conduct the cremation after midnight in strict compliance with the COVID-19 protocol too was met with stiff resistance.

Put on hold

As the discussions led by Kottayam tahsildar C.G. Rajendra Babu remained inconclusive, it was decided to put the cremation on hold for the time being.

The MLA said the district administration would find a suitable spot for cremating the body.

Ouseph George of Chungam died at the Government Medical College here on July 24 while undergoing treatment for acute pneumonia. A secondary examination of his serum samples later confirmed that the patient had contracted COVID-19.