Land dispute delays cremation of COVID-19 victim

Collector issues order in favour of the bereaved family

The funeral of a 68-year-old woman from Ulliyeri who died of COVID-19 at Malabar Medical College here on Wednesday was delayed for several hours following a land ownership dispute. The relatives of the victim alleged that they were prevented from conducting the cremation at the land which was earlier donated to her family by a charitable trust. Following the dispute, the body of the woman had been moved to a private medical college mortuary. Though a team of police officers and Revenue officials reached the spot settle the issue, it was of little avail. The main argument raised by the trust functionaries was that the five cents donated to the family for residential purposes could not be used for cremation. They had also suggested using a public crematorium. On Thursday, the dispute was settled following an online meeting initiated by District Collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao. The family members of the victim said they had been granted permission by the local panchayat authorities for the cremation, but it was later revoked. The Collector finally issued an order in favour of the bereaved family which was allowed to conduct the cremation in their own land.