Thursday, March 28

Simon Hercules, Doctor

The body of neurosurgeon Simon Hercules was exhumed from the Velangadu burial ground and reburied in Kilpauk on Sunday after a prolonged legal battle. Dr Hercules died due to COVID-19 in April 2020 and his burial drew a lot of attention after people in the vicinity objected to it irrationally.

On the day, following objection from people, Dr Hercules’s body was taken to Vekangadu burial ground after a showdown at Kilpauk cemetery.

An angry crowd had manhandled the ambulance crew and the police had to step in to bury the body. Following these incidents, the State government had to issue an ordinance mandating stringent punishment for those who prevented the burial of those who succumbed to COVID-19 and other notified diseases.

The High Court had ordered on March 31, 2021, to exhume the body and rebury it in the Kilpauk Christian cemetery, as per the last wish of Dr Hercules. But the Corporation obtained a stay during the previous AIADMK regime.

Quoting G. Leonard Ponraj, head of department, Sports Medicine, Tamil Nadu Government Super Speciality Hospital and a friend of the deceased The Hindu reported that the reburial was done only after the intervention of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The Corporation decided to withdraw the appeal against the High Court judgment following directions from the Chief Minister.

“To be fair, there was not much awareness among the general public that the virus immediately dies once the person dies. Although this fact was well-known to the Health Officers of the Corporation, the previous Commissioner was wrongly advised,” Dr Ponraj said.

“In June 2021, we represented the issue to the Chief Minister, who was kind enough to pass on our request to the Corporation Commissioner, who ordered officers to withdraw the appeal against the High Court order and made all arrangements for the exhumation and reburial,” he said, according to report.

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