Mishandling of Covid-19 bodies: NHRC aks govt to enact law to uphold dignity of dead

May 15: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday recommended that the government should enact a special legislation to uphold the dignity and protect the right of the dead. The recommendation from NHRC came in the backdrop of disturbing reports of mishandling of Covid-19 bodies emerging from across the country.

NHRC asserted that Article 21 of the Constitution extends not only to living persons but also to the dead. In a statement, the National Human Rights Commission said the recommendations include enacting of a specific legislation to protect the rights of the dead, adding that ‘mass burial or cremation should not be allowed to take place as it is in violation of the right to dignity of the dead’.

The apex human rights body sent a detailed advisory to the ministry of home affairs, ministry of health and family welfare and states/union territories in this regard. ‘The hospital administration should be explicitly prohibited from deliberately retaining any dead body on the count of pending bill payment; the unclaimed bodies must be stored under safe conditions,’ the recommendations read.

The Commission, in a letter through its Secretary General Bimbadhar Pradhan to the Union home secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary and the chief secretaries, administrators of states and union territories, has asked for the implementation of its recommendations in the advisory and sought the action taken report within four weeks.