Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has asked the people to pay respect to the frontline workers who are on the war foot to combat the spread of Coronavirus in the state. In his press release that was issued on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said that the frontline workers are saving lives of people during the crisis. 

Through his statement, which has come two days after the local residents in Chennai protested against the burial of the doctor who succumbed to the virus, the Chief Minister asserted that he has been considering the people who are saving lives equal to god. Borrowing couplets from Thirukkural, he requested the people to respect those who are selflessly saving the lives.

This has been the first official statement from him after the deceased doctor was denied the burial place. By placing his condolences to the families which had lost their loved ones due to the pandemic, he claimed that the incidents of people refusing the burial had pained him and he further stated that the government has issued the guidelines and advisories on how the COVID-19 victim should be buried or cremated.

The recent incident happened in Chennai had attained the national spotlight after the local residents had protested against the burial of the doctor who died of Coronavirus. On Sunday, 55-year-old Dr.Simon Hercules had succumbed to the virus becoming the first doctor in the state to die due to virus. His family members and friends decided to bury him after which they arrived to the burial ground in TB Chatram in Kilpauk.

However, the residents of the region started protesting against the burial by upholding the rumor that the burial would lead to the rampant spread of the virus. According to the reports, nearly 50-60 people had gathered in the burial ground and assaulted the friends of the deceased, beat the ambulance drivers, and damaged the ambulance and nearly after two hours of struggle, the family members managed to bury him at the burial ground in Anna Nagar. 

The incident went apparent that how the people would treat the frontline workers if they become a victim of the virus and it raged criticism about how people have been given awareness. The police department in Anna Nagar had arrested 20 people for opposing the burial and remanded them under judicial custody. On Tuesday, Chennai city police commissioner Viswanathan warned that the action will be taken against the people under the Goondas Act if they oppose and protest against the burial of the COVID-19 victims. 

கொரோனா பணியில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள மருத்துவ துறை (ம) பல்வேறு அரசு துறைகளை சேர்ந்த பணியாளர்கள் நோய் தொற்றுக்குள்ளாகி உயிரிழக்க நேரிட்டால், அறிவித்திருந்த ரூ10 லட்சம் நிவாரண தொகை ரூ50 லட்சமாக உயர்த்தியும், அவர்கள் குடும்ப உறுப்பினர் ஒருவருக்கு தகுதி அடிப்படையில் அரசுப்பணியும் வழங்கப்படும். pic.twitter.com/RIOGHNnvZj

— Edappadi K Palaniswami (@CMOTamilNadu) April 22, 2020

According to the reports, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has, on Wednesday, announced that Rs 50 lakh solatium to the families of doctors and nurses in case they demise due to the virus. The state government has also announced that one member of the deceased family would be provided with the government job.