Doctors are one of the important frontline workers on the war-field to combat the spread of Coronavirus. They have been carrying the ultimate mission, around the clock, of saving lives and to fulfill the wish of the affected patients - to recover and survive from the virus. However, the community pays back such doctors with denying dignity at death and not fulfilling their last wish of having proper and respectful burial. The incident that happened to Chennai based doctor Simon Hercules, who died after testing positive for the virus, holds a testament of how ignorance overrules the dignity.

The light of rumors and ignorance has put humanity to plight by leaving the wife of the deceased doctor, who saved hundreds of lives, to plead to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for arranging a proper burial of her husband at another cemetery, as this was his last wish. 

In the video message, Anandi Simon put out an emotional appeal to the Chief Minister as her husband's last wish was to bury him according to the religious customs, if he dies of the virus. She wants her husband's body to exhume from the cemetery run by the Chennai Corporation and to bury at the Christian cemetery in Kilpauk. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister directly dialed to Anadi Simon and expressed his condolences.

On Wednesday, Archbishop of Chennai- Mylapore, George Antonysamy has agreed to bury Dr. Simon's body within the Kilpauk cemetery. He further denied the allegations that the church refused to permit the burial of the deceased doctor as he belonged to a different Christian mission. Earlier, the rumors sparked across social media that the burial was denied at the Kilpauk Cemetery as the deceased doctor belongs to Roman Catholic while the church practices under CSI which has Protestant and Anglican churches under it.

According to the reports, the Archbishop has agreed to bury the body at the Kilpauk cemetery and rejected the rumors by stating that those were baseless, unfounded, and regrettable. However, the reports say the state government is yet to issue the directive on the appeal made by Dr.Simon's wife to bury the deceased in the Kilpauk cemetery as per their customs. Dr. Simon was a 55-year-old neurosurgeon in Chennai and served as the managing director of New Hope hospital in the city. 

He has passed away on Sunday due to the virus, becoming the first doctor in the state to die due to the disease. The local residents of Kilpauk protested against burying the body in their locality by upholding the rumor that burial of the COVID-19 victim would have a rampant spread of the virus. About 50-60 people have opposed the burial and beaten the family members and friends of the deceased doctor.

After a long struggle, he was buried at a cemetery at Anna Nagar in the night hours of Sunday and the incident of denying dignity and protesting against the burial of a doctor who became a COVID-19 victim has attained the national spotlight as it went apparent on how the people filled up with the ignorance and how they would treat the frontline workers who demise due to the virus. The police department in Anna Nagar has booked 20 people for opposing the burial and the Chennai police commissioner had warned the people that they would be booked under the Goondas Act if they refuse and protest against the burial of the COVID-19 victim.

Also read: How humanity stayed off from the last rites of the deceased doctor in Chennai?