2 held in UP for dumping COVID-19 patient`s body in river after video goes viral

Balrampur: A viral video showing a COVID-19 patient’s body being dumped from a bridge into the Rapti river in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district, led to arrest of two people, the police said.

Balrampur Police in a video statement on Twitter informed that the patient has been identified as Prem Nath Mishra, who admitted to a hospital in the district on May 25 and tested positive for the coronavirus. He died on May 29 and the body was handed to his nephew while following COVID-19 protocol. 

"On May 29, a video went viral on social media that showed PPE-clad persons dropping a corpse into the Rapti river. As per the Chief Medical Officer, Balrampur, the body has been identified as Prem Nath Mishra, who was admitted to a hospital on May 25," the Additional Superintendent of Police said on Sunday. 

"After he tested positive for COVID-19, he was shifted to another ward on May 26. He died on May 28. The body was handed over to his nephew on May 29 as per COVID-19 guidelines. A case has been registered and two people have been arrested," he added. 

Confirming the same, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Balrampur said yesterday, "The COVID patient's whose body was thrown into the river, was handed over to family under protocol. A case has been registered and a probe on." 

The video, which brought this horrific incident to light, was shot by a couple of people who were driving by the spot. In the video, two men are seen lifting a body on the bridge over Rapti river. The man in the PPE suit can be seen tinkering with the body, probably trying to get it out of the body bag.

Meanwhile, several reports have surfaced over the last few weeks of decomposed bodies floating in rivers. In Ghazipur, several bodies washed up on the shores of river Ganga. Similar scenes were also witnessed in Bihar’s Buxar. 

(With Agency inputs)