Covid deaths: Mass immersion of ashes by govt draws flak

The mass immersion of ashes of unclaimed bodies of Covid-19 victims by the state government in River Cauvery near Kashi Vishwanathaswamy temple at Belakavadi in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district on Wednesday, received much publicity, with some claiming that it ensured ‘dignity in death’.

Revenue R Ashoka was glorified on both media and social media, even though there were criticisms. Mysuru-based spokesman of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee H A Venkatesh mocked at Ashoka, by stating, “The Revenue Minister has tried to perform penance for the sins of the state government. Is this the function of a minister?”

He said, “If the Covid patients were provided proper treatment and hospitalisation, there would not have been so many deaths. It has to be noted that the bodies had to wait in long queues, in front of crematorium. The people will never forgive the government, for the mismanagement. While the government itself was responsible for the mass deaths, now it is enacting a religious drama, of giving ‘mukthi’ to unclaimed bodies.”

Venkatesh said, “It is a ploy of the government to evoke religious sentiments among the people, to mask its failures and to get positive publicity. It also seems to be promotion of superstitions. Besides, with this, the minister himself is involved in polluting the river.”

J Raghunath, a retired government employee, said, "The government lacks the commitment to manage the pandemic. If it had provided oxygen, medicines and other medical facilities on time, there would not have been a situation for mass immersion of ashes."

"Instead of leading by example, the government is setting bad precedents. It should rather urge the people to give up old practices that pollute nature. When the population was less, such acts would not have caused much damage. But, with a population of over 130 crore, on just 32.87 lakh sq km of land, with a density of over 400 persons per square km, we cannot afford to pollute our natural resources, especially water,” he said.