Caught on camera: COVID-19 victim's body carried in a JCB

New Delhi : The body of a coronavirus patient was carried to a burial ground in a JCB earthmover machine. The District collector has suspended the responsible official for the undignified way the patient was treated in his death.

The incident has been reported in Palasa town in Srikakulam district; a viral video showed four men dressed in PPE kit taking the body of a patient on JCB.

According to Palasa-Kasibugga Municipality Commissioner N Ramesh, the sanitary inspector was forced to use the JCB machine, meant for handling construction material, as no one would come forward to handle the patient’s body, or allow their vehicle to be used for transporting the body.

He claimed that this was the first death in town from coronavirus and people were very scared with the fact.

"We were told that the body had to be disposed of either by the medical and health department, or the municipality. But none of the workers came forward. Our sanitary inspector took two municipality workers along and went to the patient’s house. But none of the vehicles came forward, not tractors, or private vehicles like taxis or autos, or even ambulances," Ramesh said, adding that a few people even drove away with their vehicles, on being asked to offer their help.

Check out the video below:

He claimed that the patient’s family was aware of the situation, and consented to the way the body was finally taken away. “With the consent of the family members, they (the sanitary inspector and the municipality workers) used the JCB machine to lift the body, took it to the cremation ground, and performed the cremation following protocol,” Ramesh said.