The Greater Chennai Corporation has, on Saturday, rejected the request of Anandhi Simon, the wife of deceased doctor Simon Hercules, to exhume the body of Dr. Simon from corporation run cemetery and to bury it at the Kilpauk cemetery as per their religious customs. 

In a statement released, the Corporation has said that it has sought a report concerning the request of Anandhi Simon from a committee of the public health experts and according to the committee, re-burying the body of the person who died of Coronavirus is not safe and the body has already been buried with accord to the safety protocol. The Corporation has highlighted that, based on the report from the committee, it has rejected the request of the wife of the deceased.

Dr. Simon Hercules was a Chennai based neurosurgeon and managing director of New Hope Hospital in the city and he was tested positive for Coronavirus earlier this month. He died of the pandemic on April 19th after getting treated at a private hospital, becoming the first doctor in the state to die due to the virus. 

His burial had gone through more troubles as the local residents of the area where the body was taken for burial had opposed and protested against the burial based on the rumors as the burial of COVID-19 victim would spread the disease. The people started attacking the doctor's family and friends and damaged the ambulance. After hours of struggle, the body was buried at the Corporation cemetery in Velangadu, Anna Nagar. 

On Wednesday, Anandhi Simon had appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami through the video message in which she made an emotional request to fulfill her husband's last wish and bury him at the Kilpauk cemetery as per the customs. She stated that exhuming the body won't spread the disease as he was buried in a sealed coffin. 

Earlier, the Archbishop of the Mylapore church had agreed to bury the deceased doctor's body at the Kilpauk cemetery. However, the Chennai Corporation has now denied the request. The Chennai city police had arrested 22 people for opposing and protesting against the burial and they have been booked under the grounds of the attempt of murder and remanded under judicial custody. The police department has warned that people would be booked under Goondas Act if they oppose the burial of the COVID-19 victim.

Also read: Ignorance over dignity - Will Dr. Simon get a proper burial as his last wish?