On Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government passed an ordinance under which those disrupting or attempting to disrupt the dignified burial or cremation of victims of notified diseases (such as COVID-19), will be punished by the state.
Under section 74 of the Tamil Nadu Public Health Law, 1939, offenders will be fined and imprisoned for a minimum period of one year to a maximum period of three years. COVID-19 is a notified disease.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had released a press statement last week, urging people to respect the frontline workers. Quoting a verse on selflessness and gratitude from Thirukkural, the CM said, “Those who work selflessly and sacrifice their lives while trying to save the lives of others should be given their due respect. I request all people to cooperate.”
The CM also shared that the recent incident where a doctor was denied a dignified burial distressed him. The 55-year-old Chennai-based Dr Simon passed away on April 19 due to novel coronavirus. However, when his family members and colleagues proceeded to bury him at a cemetery in Kilpauk, a group of angry residents denied entry to the ambulance carrying his body and went as far as physically harming his kin. Twenty-two persons from the neighbourhood were arrested following this incident.
This incident enraged many and gained widespread criticism from all quarters following which Indian Medical Association (IMA) warned "appropriate retaliatory measures" if the authorities failed to stop such incidents. On April 21, AK Viswanathan, Chennai Police Commissioner warned serious action against those who posed trouble and said that they will be detained under the Goondas Act.
On Wednesday, Dr Simon’s wife made a teary request to Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami in a video message to fulfil her husband’s last wish and bury him at the cemetery in Kilpauk. In a press release on Saturday, the Chennai Corporation, however, denied this request.
The ordinance by the Tamil Nadu government comes days after the Union government, on April 22, passed an ordinance that makes acts of violence against healthcare service personnel, including doctors, health workers, ASHA workers, a punishable offence. If found guilty, the accused can face a prison term of three months to seven years.