On March 30, Monday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had issued an order, which had banned the burial of bodies of nCOVID-19 patients in the city owing to transmission fears. The order in question insisted that all such bodies should be cremated at the nearest crematorium, irrespective of religion, and without any rituals. However, just within few hours of its release, the BMC withdrew the order.
Stating the same, State Minister Nawab Malik tweeted,
"This is to bring to your kind attention that I have spoken to BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi regarding the circular issued by him for the cremation of those who have lost their lives due to the coronavirus. The said circular has now been withdrawn".
This is to bring to your kind attention that I have spoken to @mybmc Commissioner Mr. Praveen Pardeshi regarding the circular issued by him for cremation of those who have lost their lives due to the #CoronaVirus.
— Nawab Malik نواب ملک नवाब मलिक (@nawabmalikncp) March 30, 2020
The said circular has now been withdrawn.
While issuing the old circular, Pardeshi had stated that community leaders had brought it to his notice that the existing burial grounds were situated amid highly dense localities. This could put the people living in nearby areas in danger with high chances of contamination in the community. The original order also directed that the funeral should not involve more than five people.
The order by the BMC Commissioner came after the issuing of recent guidelines by the World Health Organisation and the Union Health Ministry on the management of deceased coronavirus patients' bodies.
The Health Ministry has already said that friends and family of a person who has died from coronavirus can view the body, but not touch, hug or kiss the deceased. The guidelines also allow religious rituals such as reading from holy books or scriptures, sprinkling holy water and other last rites that do not require touching of the body. But bathing, kissing and hugging of the dead body has been prohibited.
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