Hisar official who led team set up to cremate Covid dead succumbs to virus

His last rites were performed as per the Covid-19 guidelines at the cremation ground in Rishi Nagar, Hisar on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Praveen was also president of Municipal Corporation’s Safai Karamchari Union. Secretary of the union, Bishan Singh told The Indian Express that Praveen was also suffering from diabetes for the last few years.

“He was a jovial person. He got fever on Friday and took medicine from a local doctor. As he became unwell, we started searching for a bed for him but it was only after the intervention of district administration that we found a bed for him in a private hospital. Despite being positive, he looked perfectly fit. He walked into the hospital and was admitted there. Within a few hours, he had to be put on a ventilator and finally he succumbed to the infection late night, yesterday. It is a huge blow to all of us,” Bishan Singh told The Indian Express.

He added, “There are five teams of safai karamcharis constituted by the district administration. These teams are assigned the task to cremate Covid-19 patients. Praveen was member of first such team that was constituted last year. More teams were constituted, subsequently. Collectively, all these teams, so far have performed last rites of over 300 Covid-19 patients. Since the situation is deteriorating and more people are dying due to this deadly disease, district administration is constituting more teams to take care of the deceased.”

Hisar Municipal Corporation’s spokesperson said, “Praveen Kumar died at a private hospital Monday night. Kumar was the head of a team formed by the municipal corporation to cremate the bodies of coronavirus patients…”

Talking about if Praveen and his team members were equipped with safety gear including face masks and PPE kits, Bishan Singh added, “All such precautions were being taken by the team members. They were provided with face masks and PPE kits that they used to wear while performing last rites of the bodies. It is unfortunate that Praveen got infected-Your data has been truncated.