HD Kumaraswamy slams Karnataka govt for not making proper arrangements for last rites of COVID victims

Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday alleged that the state government has failed to ensure proper arrangements for conducting the last rites of COVID patients who died due to non-availability of proper medical care.

In a series of tweets, former Karnataka Chief Minister urged the government to take measures on a warfooting to conduct the last rites of at least 25 dead bodies on a daily basis in each segment (of the total eight) of the deemed forest surrounding Bengaluru in all its eight directions.

"It is really the height of inhuman behaviour on the part of the government which has failed to ensure proper arrangements for conducting the last rites of COVID patients who died due to non-availability of proper medical care," he tweeted.

Kumaraswamy further suggested that Bengaluru is surrounded in all its eight directions by forest land that lacks any tree cover. The government should make arrangements here on a daily basis to conduct the last rites of those succumbing to the pandemic and they should consider this as its priority.

"The government did not give beds, oxygen, ventilator and life-saving drugs to COVID patients. I beg the government with folded hands and pain in my heart to at least make arrangements now to conduct the last rites of victims in a dignified manner," he said.

Further alleging that the government utterly failed in providing proper medical facilities to the COVID infected persons, he said that they should not delay the process of arranging for a proper place to conduct their last rites. Otherwise, have no doubts that people will curse the government.

"It is really heart-wrenching to see the hardships being faced by the kin of COVID infected persons," he added.

The former Chief Minister was tested positive for the virus on April 17 and later on the same day, he had been admitted to the hospital following the disease.

The state reported 1,76,207 total active coronavirus cases, in the last 24 hours today, as the Union Health Ministery. A total of 1,0,32,233 people have been recovered from the virus during the said period.

India, currently witnessing a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and has reported more than 3 lakh fresh infections in the last 24 hours - the highest since the pandemic broke out last year.

(ANI)

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