Corona and erosion of human values
The Coronavirus is impacting not only the physical health of people but also the mental health, posing innumerable challenges to society. It is testing the strength of human relationships by shaking its very foundations. The manner in which bodies of the victims of the Coronavirus infection are being disposed in various places show us that it is not only important for people to protect themselves but also ensure that humanitarian values that form the bedrock of a civil society are also protected and nurtured.
In a recent incident, it has been reported that the bodies of nine persons who died of the infection were dumped in a pit and their last rites were performed in a ghastly manner by pourakarmikas in Bellary. It is almost as if the dignity and respect accorded to the people of the state were also given a quiet burial along with the dead. After the video of the burial went viral, the district administration tendered an apology and ordered an investigation. But as is the norm, the incident might soon be closed after the pourakarmikas guilty of the act are identified and suspended. If, however, we do not use this incident to introspect how such an inhuman act could occur in our civilized society, such incidents are likely to recur.
Another incident reported from Bangalore revealed the complete lack of sensitivity of the medical world in these times of crisis. An employee of a garment factory who was suffering from acute respiratory problems died on Sunday after struggling for 36 hours and after knocking at the doors of 18 hospitals that refused admission. “I am feeling suffocated, please admit and treat me”, the employee pleaded with the hospitals, but the hospitals refused to heed. Later, the employee and the family made frantic telephone calls to about 20 hospitals, but none of them bothered to respond and the person eventually died. In this incident, there is no clarity about the actual cause of the death, whether it was due to the Coronavirus or respiratory problems. If the person’s Coronavirus test report is negative, then the hospitals must be held responsible for causing the murder of an innocent. If we assume that the person was infected with the Coronavirus, it is still the responsibility of the hospitals to provide primary medical aid, treat the patient, conduct the Coronavirus test, and continue treatment. But who can punish these hospitals who do not attach any value to a human life?
A report published recently indicated that the state of tuberculosis in India is worse than the Coronavirus. Also, in the rainy season, diseases such as dengue and malaria take away many lives every year. Due to the Coronavirus, though, a situation is created where medicines for dengue and malaria are not available. Doctors are viewing the Corona-infected as some strange beings to be kept at bay. People visiting hospitals for fever, cough, cold, asthma, headache or other regular, seasonal illnesses are being sent back and asked to return after getting themselves tested for the Coronavirus. In the absence of medicines or immediate treatment, these illnesses are getting aggravated and people are being pushed towards death. This raises an important question about the need for individuals suffering from regular illnesses to be forced to subject themselves to the expensive Coronavirus test.
The health care system in India is in a pathetic condition. The recent lockdown has pushed people towards economic bankruptcy. In such a situation, what is the need to impose an unwritten rule that people suffering from regular illnesses should also test themselves for the Coronavirus? It is being alleged that mega hospitals are making money out of the Coronavirus. People are enraged that they are being subjected to Coronavirus tests unnecessarily and medicines are being denied if they are not willing to go through the test.
The double standards of public authorities can be seen in the way the number of people dying of the Coronavirus is being made public while at the same time, the number of people dying due to other illnesses after being denied treatment in hospitals is being covered up. If some hospitals are using the Coronavirus pandemic to make money, other hospitals are treating other patients as untouchables. If this is the attitude of the medical fraternity, it is not surprising that the common man has wrong notions about handling dead bodies or performing funeral rites of the Corona-infected people. First, hospitals and district administrations should become sensitive towards the infected people and those who have died due to the virus. Only then can we expect the common man to reflect the same values.
Recently, in Mangaluru, a few mischievous elements tried to create a controversy over the participation of an MLA in the funeral of a Corona-infected person, with a section of the media also contributing to it. No one can dispute the fact that social distancing should be maintained from the infected persons, but it does not mean that infected people should be treated inhumanely. The dead too have dignity. Refusing a decent, dignified burial to the infected not only reflects our superstitions but also the fact that humanitarian values are slowly getting eroded. The move of politicians, legislators, ministers, and district administration officials to participate in funerals by taking safety measures conveys an important message to restore confidence in people. Such behavior will not only send out a positive message but also help in allaying unnecessary fears. Only through such proactive measures can we stop inhuman acts such as the one that occurred in Ballary.
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Girl stabbed in Delhi Cantt initially threatened to kill accused, reveals police
New Delhi (PTI): The teenage girl who was stabbed multiple times in Delhi Cantonment had initially threatened the accused with death, police revealed on Friday.
This development comes after the police took the statement of the accused, Amit (20), who was admitted to a hospital after inflicting multiple wounds on the girl's stomach and neck as well as on himself on April 6 evening.
According to police, the stabbing incident was triggered after the accused spotted a new dress in the girl’s bag, leading to a fight between them.
A senior police officer on Friday said that when the accused asked the victim not to take gifts from other boys, the girl allegedly said, "Tum kya kar loge agar mai lu? Zyada bologe to tumhe marwa dungi (What will you do if I take it? If you talk too much, I’ll get you killed.)"
Enraged and intimidated by the threat, Amit planned to end her life and when she called him to meet her at the bus stop. He allegedly took a knife with him.
After stabbing the girl, Amit also stabbed himself in the stomach, the officer said, adding that he is now out of danger and shifted to the hospital ward.
The police have taken his statement and are waiting to corroborate it with the victim, who has been admitted to ICU again after initially being taken out of it.
In her initial statement to the police, the girl had asked the police not to take any action against Amit.
“Amit, in his statement, has said that he was in a relationship with the victim for the past year. However, she had distanced herself from him, straining their relationship.
On the day of the incident, they even shared a meal together in a community kitchen; however, later, things took a turn for the worse, the officer said.
“We are waiting to corroborate Amit’s version with the victim, who is not in the condition to give a statement right now,” the officer said.
The police said the accused will be arrested once the doctors declare him medically fit and discharge him.
A case under section 109(1) of the BNS was registered against the accused at Delhi Cantonment police station.
