A mild tension prevailed at Arepalli Rangampet village in Chandragiri mandal in Chittoor district on Friday when the residents opposed the funeral of a person who died of coronavirus in Tirupati.
A posse of police personnel was mobilised to defuse the tension. The villagers did not allow the ambulance carrying the body to the spot chosen by the officials for the burial. They blocked the road with chopped tree logs, thorny shrubs and tractor trailers to prevent the entry of the ambulance.
The villagers questioned the rationale behind burring the body of the patient who died in Tirupati town. They made a fervent pleas to the authorities to reconsider the decision, saying that the move would result in widespread COVID-19 infection in the locality. The site chosen for the burial is close to the Kalayani dam from where water is being supplied. The villagers said the burial could pollute the water sources nearby.
Ambulance returned
The officials tried to convince the villagers by saying that all the COVID-19 protocols would be followed during the funeral. As the villagers were not convinced, the officials dropped the plan and the ambulance carrying the body returned from the locality.
