DC Keerthi Jalli, MLA Dilip Paul attend funeral of COVID victim; send a strong message against stigma

78-year-old Bimal Paul had breathed his last yesterday at Silchar Medical College and Hospital. Today the state-level death audit board declared that Paul died due to infections caused by the Coronavirus and announced it as a COVID death.

To set a precedent and fight the stigma, the district administration wrapped the dead body following the protocols and escorted it to the Crematorium in Silchar’s Samshan Road. However, when they reached the Samshan Ghat, locals blocked their path and said that they won’t allow a COVID positive patient to be cremated in the Silchar Crematorium.

They said that they fear the smoke will enter their house and infect their family members. Immediately, DC Keerthi Jalli, Silchar MLA Dilip Paul rushed to the spot. Initially, DC Keerthi Jalli interacted with the protesting locals and tried to explain it to them that COVID infection does not spread through smoke or ash.

After that, Silchar MLA Dilip Paul started interacting with them and explained the facts in detail. Paul referred to Professor and Head, Department of Forensic Medicine, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Gunajit Das and explained it to the locals that after the death of a COVID patient, the body is properly disinfected with 1% sodium hypochlorite and all-natural orifices, as well as punctured areas, are closed with cotton plugs.

Paul also explained to the locals how the body is packed in a leak-proof zipped body bag and after that again disinfected with hypochlorite solution and allowed to act for a minimum of 30 minutes. Thereafter the body is again packed and tied in another polythene sheet of 150-micron thickness and the exterior is again disinfected with hypochlorite solution. Once packed in this manner as prescribed in the guidelines already issued by Central as well as the State Governments, the chances of infection from the body to others almost becomes nil.

Speaking with Barak Bulletin, the MLA said, “Few already died and we might have few more deaths. It is important that we pay respect to the dead and conduct the last rites as per the rituals.”

So far the administration has been conducting funerals in remote-isolated areas and while conducting the last cremation they had to face a lot of issues. “All this causes more trouble. It was important to conduct funerals in crematoriums and today’s development will send a strong message to the society,” said Paul.

It is worth mentioning here that, on July 27, the district administration had held a meeting with a view to dispel the misconceptions on the spread of the virus from the mortal remains of a COVID-19 victim. Religious leaders, local ward commissioners, and people from other segments of society had attended the meeting.

“It was decided in that meeting that we will be cremating COVID positive patients in the crematorium itself. For the same, a pyre has been set aside which will be sanitised after every cremation,” said Sumit Sattavan, ADC Cachar, also the head of the Silchar Municipality Board.

This becomes the first such case in Cachar when the cremation of a COVID victim was conducted in the Silchar Samshan Ghat, right in the middle of the town. The ash or smoke does not spread corona and that is a fact as explained by Dr. Gunajit Das. It was just the stigma that worked as an obstacle. Today, DC Keerthi Jalli and MLA Dilip Paul’s presence will set an example. It is certainly a leap ahead in the right direction, in the direction of diminishing the stigma.