West Bengal: Six injured after row over Covid victim’s cremation

KOLKATA: The chaos over cremation of Covid-19 victims continued on the northern fringes of the city.
After Ariadaha, Sodepur, Khardah and Barrackpore, in a fresh trouble late on Thursday night, at least six persons, including four women, were injured after cops had to allegedly resort to lathicharge to disperse the panic-stricken locals, who tried to stop the civic team from performing the last rites of a 65-year-old Covid-19 victim at a crematorium in Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas.
According to sources, the victim, Aniruddha Prasad Shaw, a resident of Atchala Bagan Road of Jagaddal, died of coronavirus in Barasat’s Kadambagachi Covid-19 hospital on Thursday night.
“As the team from Bhatpara Municipality escorted by cops reached the Muktarpur crematorium with the body, nearly 150 locals surrounded them. They gheraoed the police and launched an agitation demanding immediate removal of the body. Though the civic members tried to convince the agitators, the mob tried to attack them,” an official of Bhatpara civic administration said. Later, a huge contingent of police, including RAF and Combat Force, led by the senior officers of Barrackpore commissionerate rushed to the spot. They reportedly resorted to a lathicharge. “Police had to take action to disperse the mob,” said Manoj Kumar Verma, CP, Barrackpore.
Later, the body was cremated after adequate number of cops were deployed near the crematorium ground adjacent to the Hooghly. Tapan Saha, CMOH, North 24 Parganas, said: “Though officials followed all safety protocols, locals didn’t listen to them.”