Kerala’s Payyambalam crematorium turns into battleground

Conflict ensued between corporation employees and volunteers of the CPI(M) controlled-IRPC

The decision by Kannur Corporation to not allow the cremation of bodies without registering has turned Payyambalam crematorium into a battleground. On Tuesday, Corporation employees, led by Corporation Standing Committee Chairman P.K. Ragesh and Adv. Martin George, were involved in a conflict with the volunteers of the CPI(M) controlled-Initiative for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care (IRPC). It ensued when the latter tried to cremate the body of a COVID-19 victim. The police had to be rushed in. However, despite the opposition from the corporation, a body was cremated by IRPC volunteers, while two more bodies were brought here.