Protests against cremation of Bantwal Covid19 casualty is 'dark spot' in our society: UTK

Mangaluru: Expressing unhappiness over the protests against cremation of the 75-year-old woman from Bantwal who died of coronavirus on Thursday, April 23 Congress leader UT Khader said that under such circumstances, the role of an elected representative is to pacify the people and clear their confusions.

On Thursday, BJP MLA Dr. Bharat Shetty had opposed the cremation of the COVID-19 patient along with his constituents.

Condemning the inhumane act, Khader said it is the duty of an MLA to guide the people in the right direction.

“No religion says to treat a dead body like this. They must be given a decent burial as per their customs. Yesterday’s incident is a dark spot in our society,” said Khader.

Meanwhile, he appreciated Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik for acting responsibly and arranging for the cremation in his constituency.

Further, he said that the problem would not have arisen if the district administration had included cremation arrangements in its action plan while dealing with the pandemic.

“The people have a right to know how the district administration is planning to tackle the pandemic. Enforcing a lockdown and asking people to remain indoors is not a solution. The district-level meetings presided by MLAs, district authorities must discuss vital health issues and not just issues pertaining to the functioning of shops, road connectivity,” Khader said.