Former union minister from Ladakh tests positive for COVID-19 a day after his death

Enquiry started following protocol violation in shifting body

Nearly 150 persons, including top politicians and senior officers in Ladakh Union Territory (UT), had to be quarantined following SOP violation in shifting the body of a former Union minister, who tested positive for COVID-19 a day after his death.

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The former minister’s two daughters have also tested positive for the deadly virus. The district administration of Leh has ordered a high-level inquiry into the handling of the body of the former minister, who happened to be a tall leader of the Congress in Ladakh and died on Monday at the age of 83. The Committee has been asked to submit a report within two days.

Reports said that the former Minister had travelled to Leh from New Delhi on May 28 and on June 1, he developed complications after which he was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared as brought dead.

As per COVID-19 protocol, the body was to be kept in a mortuary of the hospital till the report of the sample arrived. However, authorities allowed his body to be taken home in Leh town after taking a sample for COVID-19 testing. As the news of the leader’s death spread, prominent politicians of the UT and some senior officers visited his residence to convey their condolences to the family.

After the leader’s sample tested positive for deadly novel coronavirus, authorities isolated his family members and started tracing his contacts. On Tuesday, around 150 people, including four executive councillors, two former ministers, one ex-Lok Sabha member, religious leaders and some officers, who had either visited the residence of the deceased or were involved in dealing with the body were sent on home quarantine.

An official said that a serious lapse in handling a COVID-19 suspect and later irregularities in handling the body has punctured all the precautions taken in the containment of COVID-19 in Leh. This is the first COVID-19 death in Ladakh, which has so far reported 81 positive cases out of which 33 are active.