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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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
