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Guv steps up attack over mishandling of bodies

In fresh tweet-storm, Dhankhar wants apology from CM, response from Hakim.

Guv steps up attack over mishandling of bodies

The Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar, today sought response from the chief minister Mamata Banerjee and from Firhad Hakim, chairman of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) board of administrators, concerning the circulating videos where decomposed corpses were seen dragged with a hook to a KMC van and were being taken to Garia crematorium.

The Governor today tweeted, “Horrendous unimaginable horror of dragging human bodies by pair of tongs would haunt us for long. PUBLIC APOLOGY @MamataOfficial by way of atonement is expected. This barbarity is indelible taint on humanity. Disposal of dead body is solemn actdominated by spirituality.”

He further wrote and warned, “Hope details sought by me @HomeSecretaryWB and KMC would be made available earliest and authentically. Chairperson @FirhadHakim is expected to brief me earliest on this grim episode. Issue is highly emotive and sensitive-a cover up operation #MAP would be inflammatory.”

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Dhankhar also tweeted,”Calling videos as fake is inexcusable blunder – adding injury to shameless insult. Those orchestrating Remote controlled response z@MamataOfficial have no idea of anger of people at enormity of this crime. Before reacting Reflect-if one of the 14 was part of your family!”

The tweets of the Governor relate to videos that have been circulating for the past few days, showing highly decomposed bodies being dragged on the ground to a KMC van.

It was reportedly learnt that these were unclaimed corpses which were lying in the NRS hospital mortuary and were being taken to Garia crematorium where protests broke out with locals suspecting that the bodies could be of Covid-19 patients.

The KMC, clearing its stance on the matter, clarified that these were not Covid-19 corpses and were instead unclaimed dead bodies.

The KMC chairman, Firhad Hakim said: “I am yet to know the details of the matter but I can say those were unclaimed dead bodies and not Covid19 corpses. They were taken to the crematorium in Garia, Boral since such unclaimed corpses used to be cremated at Dhapa but now that it has become a Covid-19 crematorium, the bodies had to be taken to Garia crematorium to lessen the burden on Dhapa.”

Reacting to the Governor’s comments, he said “Had the Governor officially summoned me, I would have gone to meet him but instead he dropped in a random tweet. He calls himself the constitutional head of the state and is yet dragging the chief minister into this issue to politicise the matter like any Opposition leader does.”

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