Tirupati MLA and YSR Congress Director Bhumana Karunakar Reddy performed the final rites on 21 people who died of COVID-19.
Mr Reddy, who had recovered from COVID-19 twice last year and was wearing a PPE suit, carried the packed bodies in procession.
He expressed his regret at the way even blood relatives, seized with fear and guilt, observed the bodies of their loved ones from afar.
“When a whole family dies, the bodies are unclaimed. This is not an economic problem, but a humanitarian one. We need to get rid of fear and of course, decently say goodbye to the deceased by taking precautions, ”he added.
The line of packed corpses neatly arranged on the floor in front of the morgue of the Government Hospital of Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia’s (SVRRGGH) government painted a bleak picture. Garlands were offered to the bodies and the rituals performed according to their social customs.
Maha Prasthanam, a Rotary Club-supported organization, took care of performing the final rites for Hindu bodies, while the Muslim JAC took responsibility for purchasing the bodies of their parishioners.