Screen capture of the video allegedly shot at Garia Adi Mahashamshan in south Kolkata.
Kolkata:
The West Bengal government said today that “the one-off incident” in which decomposed bodies were seen loaded into a van in a crematorium in southern Calcutta is unrelated to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Attempts to “decontextualize the incident” and project it as part of the pandemic despite explanatory statements sent to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar “have negatively affected the social spirit,” the state health department tweeted.
The incident was revealed when a video surfaced on social media on Thursday, prompting the governor to tweet his anguish over the “disposal of corpses with cruel and indescribable insensitivity” and forcing the authorities to clarify.
“The government of West Bengal condemns the untruths,” said the ministry of health.
City police and the state health department called the video “false” and claimed that the bodies were not claimed from a morgue at a public hospital.
The video also showed protests from locals in Garia, a suburb on the southern outskirts of the city where the incident was allegedly taking place, who claimed the bodies were those of victims of coronavirus.
The government has said that all forms of transparency have been maintained and that bereaved relatives have been given opportunities to show their last respect to the dead and to dispose of their bodies during the pandemic.
“The GOWB (Government of West Bengal) respects the creed of dignity in death and, while dealing with the COVID pandemic, it has adopted the principle by establishing transparent procedures concerning the disclosure of facts, the opportunities given to bereaved relatives for show the latest respect for the dead, disposal of corpses, etc. “, the Interior Ministry tweeted today.
“The recent disinformation campaign aimed at projecting an isolated incident of manipulation by a particular agency of unidentified and decomposed corpses lying (post-accidents, etc.) in a morgue has nothing to do with the current pandemic. This was communicated in writing and in person. by most senior state officials, even to the governor, “he added.
He said: “decontexualize the incident and plan a one-off incident on the pandemic web, despite the explanatory statements, has a negative impact on the social spirit, demotivates the public administration, disparages front line public health workers, stands in the way of streamlining all relevant procedures, especially at a time when the entire state is fighting the twin hits of COVID and Cyclone Amphan. “
Opposition CPI (M) and BJP had criticized the state government and alleged that “the video clip was evidence that the ruling TMC had attempted to hide the actual number of COVID-19 deaths in the state” .
