Jammu, Jun 22: The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit on Monday demanded a judicial probe into the death of two relatives of a COVID-19 patient who passed away here last week, stating that the party was seriously concerned about repeated negligence by government officials.
The Jammu district administration had already ordered a magisterial probe into the death of Vimal Zadoo and his cousin Vipan Zadoo on Thursday during the cremation of their uncle who died a day earlier after testing positive.
The demand for a judicial probe was made by the BJP in a memorandum submitted to Lt Governor G C Murmu by a five-member delegation of senior party leaders, including general secretary Vibodh Gupta, former minister Sat Sharma and party vice-president Narinder Singh, a BJP spokesperson said.
The memorandum, signed by Gupta, alleged that a section of the administration is demonstrating its “insensitivity” and “disrespect” for not only common people but also the dead and their families as was witnessed in the case of the death of two family members accompanying the body of a COVID-19 patient for his last rites.
“People are justifiably angry and expect accountability and transparency in handling of the situation. The district administration, Jammu in an effort to hush up the case and protect the guilty announced a magisterial probe to be conducted by officials who are actually responsible for the mishap,” the memorandum read, advocating judicial inquiry into the incident to ensure justice to the aggrieved family.
The BJP said the people responsible for the negligence should be immediately suspended and guilty punished both in Jammu and also in Kathua district, where a 47-year-old man died at a quarantine centre on Sunday.
The party demanded an ex-gratia relief of Rs 15 Lakh along with a government job to the kin of the deceased, besides accommodation to the widow of one of the deceased of Jammu.
The memorandum also suggested the administration to notify cremation grounds to be used for the last rites of a COVID-19 patient for avoiding last moment hustle.
“This pandemic may continue for a longer period and we should prepare ourselves for a long and cautious fight against it,” it said, adding that there was an urgent need to review the preparation at the highest level.
