We followed MHA guidelines, last rites of deceased were held in Valley, brother of the victim performed all religious rituals: CRPF spokesman
Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, June 09 (KINS): The Covid-19 pandemic is turning out to be a spoiler even after the death of a person who gets infected with this deadly virus. Same happened with the first Covid causality in the CRPF on Monday when one of its men died due to the virus in a Srinagar hospital.
The jawan, who was posted in the 90th battalion of CRPF in South Kashmir, died early morning yesterday at SMHS hospital. His body was taken to the southern district of Anantnag for last rites. “We followed the guidelines set by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and arranged things for the cremation of the jawan in Kashmir only,” a senior CRPF official told news agency kashmir indepth news service (KINS).
He said that the last rites of the deceased were performed in Anantnag and he was cremated in the Valley only.
The deceased belonged to Uttar Pradesh, where CRPF men officially informed his wife and children about the death of their loved one due to Covid-19 pandemic. “His wife cried loudly over the phone after hearing the news about her husband’s death. What was more painful for her was when we told her that she can’t have the last glimpse of her husband as all the formalities with regard to last rites and cremation will take place in Kashmir only,” the CRPF officials said, adding that “I could hear shrieks of relatives of the deceased in the backdrop. I tried to console the widow of the jawan before cutting the line.”
It was the first Covid-19 death of the CRPF man posted in Kashmir. But he was, however, lucky as his brother also serves in CRPF and is also posted in Kashmir. “The last rites were performed by the brother of the deceased who is posted in Kashmir and is also in CRPF. This way the deceased was a lucky one. His mortal remains were also dealt religiously by his own brother,” said CRPF’s spokesman for Operations, Junaid Khan, who is also the Assistant Commandant in the Force.
Sources in the CRPF said that at least two dozen contacts of the deceased jawan, all from his battalion, have been put under quarantine. “Their samples have been taken and results are awaited,” they said.(KINS)
