COVID-19 Body Lies Unattended For 18 Hours In Kolkata

After the Amherst Street case on Wednesday, this time a case has emerged in the Gauribari area of North Kolkata where the body of a 58-year-old man was lying in a sweet shop for close to 18 hours after he died of COVID-19. The man had died on Wednesday and his body was taken away at 12:00 pm on Thursday.

People in the locality claimed that the government hospitals did not want to issue a death certificate even after declaring him dead. The Police conducted a check, following which, after 18 hours, the body was finally removed.

The 58-year-old sweet shop owner hailed from Singur in Hoogly district and had lived with the employees in the sweet shop. The man fell ill a few weeks ago and was tested for COVID-19 at a private laboratory on the 29th of June. Residents of the Gauribari area claimed that the physical condition of the owner of the sweet shop had deteriorated since Wednesday afternoon.

The victim was first taken to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead. However, locals claimed that the doctors did not want to issue a death certificate.

The brother of the deceased claimed that doctors said they will not issue a death certificate until the coronavirus examination report of the deceased was available. Doctors asked for an autopsy report in order to issue a death certificate. People from the locality, and his brother were asked to take the body to a local doctor.

Locals claim that they then returned to the area with the body. But, when they contacted a local doctor, his brother was told that the doctor would not be able to issue a death certificate before the COVID-19 report arrives.

Police had also advised the locality people to wait till the report came. Hence, the dead body was lying in the sweet shop for 18 hours. The COVID-19 test report on Thursday morning indicated that the man had tested positive. Then, at around 12:00 noon, the state health department staff came and removed the body.

The sweet shop at Gauribari was disinfected after removing the body of the deceased while other employees of the shop have been quarantined.

On Wednesday, a shocking case had come to light where family members had to spend 44 hours in the same flat with the body of a 71-year-old man in their Amherst Street residence in Kolkata. The man had died on Monday afternoon around 3:00 pm soon after the COVID-19 test was done. As the body started decomposing, the family arranged for an ice-cream freezer to keep the dead body as no morgue would accept him due to fear of contamination. COVID-19 test results on Tuesday indicated that he had tested positive, and yet no one from the Police or health department helped to take the body away, until Wednesday afternoon. Residents of the entire building are under home quarantine, and had spent two days in a state of panic.