Patna, May 9 (IANS): A video purportedly showing a Covid victim's body being dumped into the bank of Saura river in Bihar's Katihar district has gone viral on social media.

Katihar's District Magistrate Udayan Mishra has cross verified the video clip and found it to be true. The incident took place on May 7.

"Soon after we have learnt about the incident, an inquiry panel headed by city's Magistrate, SDO and SDPO of the area, was constituted who later visited the Bheria Rahika village on Sunday.

During investigation, it was found that the person died of Covid on May 6," Mishra told IANS.

"As per the statement of the deceased's brother, his kin did not have enough money to cremate the body. Moreover, the villagers told the family members that cremation of Covid victim could be a hazardous to health for others. Hence, they had dug an 8 feet deep pit in their own land to bury the body," Mishra said.

"After the patient had succumbed to Covid in Sadar hospital, the hospital administration then sent the body in an ambulance to the village on May 7.

The complainant of the incident was the driver of the ambulance. We had cross checked about the incident with the victims' family members. During the process of burial, some onlookers filmed it and made it viral on social networking platforms," Mishra said.