Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Mangaluru, Jun 28: Residents of Bolar here on Sunday June 28 vehemently opposed the burial of the body of a youth who died of coronavirus in the city.
The 31-year-old man died of coronavirus earlier in the day.
It was initially decided to bury the body at the mosque cemetery in Idya. However, as the pit that was dug for burial had gotten inundated with water, the mosque authorities requested the officials to take the body to Bolar cemetery.
However, when the body was brought to Bolar by the district officials as per protocol, the locals in the vicinity of Bolar mosque, who reportedly had no connection to the mosque, put up stiff opposition to the burial. The locals pressured the officials to bury the body at Suratkal mosque cemetery instead.
The locals told the officials that they had no objection to bury anyone who died of coronovirus within the Bolar area, but objected to any coronavirus victim being brought from another place to be buried in their vicinity.
District administration officials tried to convince the locals for three hours to let them conduct the burial, with the body remaining in the ambulance all the while. The officials relented and agreed to take the body back to Idya.
However, on the assistant deputy commissioner through the officials intervened in the matter and asked them to bring the body back to Bolar. The officials finally managed to convince the locals, with assurance that the pit would be 12 ft wide and all precautions would be taken. Thus assured, the residents allowed the burial to be conducted, sources said. They also warned the officials that they would not allow any more non-Bolar residents to be buried there in future.