Seva Bharati volunteers perform final rites of Covid victims

Volunteers of the Seva Bharati organisation in Kushalnagar have set a noble example by conducting the final rites of 58 people who succumbed to Covid-19.

All the 58 persons are from various religious backgrounds.

In most cases of Covid-19 victims, their family members themselves hesitate to perform the final rites, as they are afraid of getting infected.

But, the Seva Bharati volunteers have been carrying out the final rites as per the religious practices of the deceased, by following all precautionary measures suggested by the government.

The team of dedicated workers is on alert round the clock. As soon as they receive information on the need to perform final rites, they reach the spot and begin preparations.

Even though the health department deployed people to conduct the final rites for Covid victims, the deceased’s family members had to face a lot of inconveniences due to some mistakes committed by the government deployed workers. Therefore, Seva Bharati decided to take up the work.

The team is lead by an advocate from Harangi, Bharat Machaiah, and comprises 18 other members including Navneeth Ponnetti, Rajiv, Dinesh, K K Janardan, Ranjit, Raghu P K, Tanmay, Sandeep, Roopesh, Prashanth, Nuthan, Nandan, Akshay, Manjunath, Vinu and Shivaram.

The members are doing the noble work without expecting any returns. The service of the team members is lauded by the people.

Seva Bharati Head Bharat Machaiah said as soon as the team gets information about the death of Covid-19 patients, they wear PPE kits and get to work. The family members are consulted to know about the rituals as per their religion and caste.

In some cases, the Seva Bharati volunteers themselves have dissolved the ashes of the deceased in the river, as the family members did not come forward to touch the ashes. The PPE kits are provided by the government, said Bharat.

Volunteer Navneet Ponnetti said that the World Health Organisation guidelines are kept in mind while performing the final rites. The safety of the family members of the deceased is also ensured, he said.

Tahsildar Govindaraj and Taluk Medical Officer Dr Shrinivas have appreciated the work by Seva Bharati volunteers.