<p>Family members of an Income Tax (I-T) department employee, who had died of Covid-19 in April last year, kept his body at their house in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur town, about 90 km from the state capital, because they believed he was in a coma.</p>.<p>The matter came to light on Friday when a team from the state health department reached their house. The I-T department informed them that the employee, identified as Vimlesh Kumar, had not been attending office for the past one and half years, and asked them to ascertain his whereabouts.</p>.<p>A team was then formed by the chief medical officer to look into the matter.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/girl-locked-in-classroom-for-over-18-hours-in-uttar-pradeshs-sambhal-1147196.html" target="_blank">Girl locked in classroom for over 18 hours in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal</a></strong></p>.<p>According to sources, the family members continued to insist that Kumar was alive and in a coma, when the medical team reached their home and told them that he had been dead for a long time.</p>.<p>Reports revealed that Kumar died of Covid-19 on April 21 last year. The doctors had even issued a death certificate. The family members, however, did not cremate the body saying that he was alive.</p>.<p>Vimlesh’s wife sprinkled ‘Gangajal’ (sacred water from the Ganga) on Kumar’s body every morning, hoping it would help him come out of the "coma", sources said.</p>.<p>According to the neighbours, the family told them that Kumar was in a coma. “The family members were often seen taking oxygen cylinders home,” said one of the neighbours.</p>.<p>The police said that the body was highly decomposed. “Vimlesh’s wife appears to be mentally unstable… we are investigating the matter,” said a police official in Kanpur. </p>
<p>Family members of an Income Tax (I-T) department employee, who had died of Covid-19 in April last year, kept his body at their house in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur town, about 90 km from the state capital, because they believed he was in a coma.</p>.<p>The matter came to light on Friday when a team from the state health department reached their house. The I-T department informed them that the employee, identified as Vimlesh Kumar, had not been attending office for the past one and half years, and asked them to ascertain his whereabouts.</p>.<p>A team was then formed by the chief medical officer to look into the matter.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/girl-locked-in-classroom-for-over-18-hours-in-uttar-pradeshs-sambhal-1147196.html" target="_blank">Girl locked in classroom for over 18 hours in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal</a></strong></p>.<p>According to sources, the family members continued to insist that Kumar was alive and in a coma, when the medical team reached their home and told them that he had been dead for a long time.</p>.<p>Reports revealed that Kumar died of Covid-19 on April 21 last year. The doctors had even issued a death certificate. The family members, however, did not cremate the body saying that he was alive.</p>.<p>Vimlesh’s wife sprinkled ‘Gangajal’ (sacred water from the Ganga) on Kumar’s body every morning, hoping it would help him come out of the "coma", sources said.</p>.<p>According to the neighbours, the family told them that Kumar was in a coma. “The family members were often seen taking oxygen cylinders home,” said one of the neighbours.</p>.<p>The police said that the body was highly decomposed. “Vimlesh’s wife appears to be mentally unstable… we are investigating the matter,” said a police official in Kanpur. </p>
