Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 20: Protest rocked over the death of two relatives of COVID victim during cremation due to the alleged negligence by the District Administration.
The protestors including many leaders of political and social organizations assembled at Gangyal and raised slogans against the Government and administration demanding job security to one of the family members of the deceased and adequate compensation viz CBI probe into the death of two relatives of COVID victim during cremation.
It is pertinent to mention here that two persons Vimal Zadoo and Vipin Zadoo had died under mysterious circumstances on Thursday afternoon after one of their close relatives, a Coronavirus patient, was being cremated in Sidhra area.
District Magistrate, Sushma Chauhan has already ordered a time-bound magisterial probe into the death and had also appointed Additional District Magistrate (ADC) Law and Order Jammu as Inquiry Officer.
On humanitarian grounds, the District Administration extended an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to each of the NOKs of the two persons who died in an unfortunate incident that took place during cremation of COVID positive patient.
Meanwhile, the family members of both the deceased along with some volunteers of the community assembled at Gangyal area and staged protest.
“We demand CBI probe, punishment to the culprits behind the death of relatives of COVID victim, job security and adequate compensation to the deceased family”, the protestors said.
Meanwhile, the officials said that protest broke out after the bodies of both the victims reached their home for cremation.
“After a gap of two days, we have received bodies and no Government officer bothered to meet us at a time when we are passing through a tragic time”, the protestors alleged.
“The death of our young men was the direct result of negligence on the part of the administration. They were taken from place to place, wearing PPE kits, in search of cremation ground amid heat wave and were not even provided water”, one of the protestors said, claiming that they died of dehydration and cannot be dismissed as a “natural death” and instead be treated as a “murder”.
“The circumstances leading to the death of the duo is condemnable”, another protestor said and demanded Government job and adequate compensation for the deceased family.
Senior police and civil officers rushed to the spot and after hectic efforts of several hours managed to pacify the protestors, officials said.
They added that Board of Doctors, which was constituted by the Government Medical College (GMC), conducted the postmortem on the deceased and later their bodies were handed over to their families for last rites today.
However, the District Administration has appointed ADC Tahir Ali as new Inquiry Officer into the incident, officials said, adding that other demands were also heard and the protestors were assured to redress the same in the shortest possible time.
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