The Unprivileged And India’s COVID-19 Situation: Workers Working In The Crematoriums And Cemeteries Constantly Exposed To The Virus, Vaccines And Medical Supplies Inaccessible, Making Them More Susceptible To The Virus

The Covid-19 pandemic revealing a broken system

India’s COVID-19 crisis has taken a devastating turn of events. The helpless families have to obsequies the bodies of their loved ones into rivers, as the crematoriums and burials are running out of space. The National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) has come forward to provide justice to the dead, as the government’s irresponsible actions resulted in so many families losing their loved ones to the pernicious virus.

Indeed, the covid pandemic has revealed a broken system. The vaccine slots are as challenging to find as a needle in a haystack. And it only implies for the privileged ones. Everyone knows the situation of rural India, wherein patients are being treated under the Neem trees, whereas others in dread and broken hospitals, living in fear of the ceiling fan falling on them.

The current scenario has become so horrifying that people have started to normalize it and accepting it as a part of our life. Those who criticize or speak up against the government’s response towards COVID either get silenced or arrested. The whole world is criticizing the government’s action. But the PM is not speaking up for the nation. The PM’s greed for grandeur has become apparent now.

The brimming dead bodies floating across the holy Ganges have made the situation even more horrendous. The despaired families can’t afford to cremate and provide the last rites to their loved ones due to the barbaric behavior of some people who are taking advantage of people in such times. The impoverished people are at a greater risk of catching the virus since they are mostly hired as workers in crematories and burial grounds, which exposes them to the virus day and night. Similarly, the ward boys working in rural hospitals don’t have access to PPE kits or face shields, which makes them susceptible to the virus.

Brimming dead bodies in rivers, situation worsening as it might spread the infections in rivers also!

Forget about the dead, the living people are also experiencing an inhumane situation. Many workers are pushed to the extremes of social and sexual margins. In India, money speaks, and the poor remain silent. Many economically backward people who are COVID positive and are admitted to government hospitals have reported rapes and bestial actions against them.

But the sadistic government is not doing anything for them while the Indian jurisdiction has converted into the ‘Modi Penal Code’. The harsh environment under which these workers are kept, is so dangerous for them physically, imagine the intensity in which it would affect them mentally. But mental health is a taboo in our country. Nevertheless, the government won’t do much to care about them and continue raging the poor in every way possible.

In a society that frequently abuses and punishes those who are considered inferior, can the denial of dignity during a person’s passing leave a scar on the public conscience? Especially when most of us do not feel obligated to die, in ‘normal’ times: think of those who die cleaning up sewage, pits, toilets; those who breathe the polluted air every day; or of those who die in silence, by famine, partial hunger, malnutrition, and great sorrow of not being able to remain human, and those who find themselves dead, because they are considered to be just in the security of the nation.

The Indian government and hospitals who let the people die, due to their greed or ignorance, are already non-persons. The people who died are died due to the murder. The murder was caused by the lack of proper plan and the government’s ignorance which turned every ground and park of India into a graveyard! Dogs and scavengers roaming around the bodies, which looks like a horror movie scene, but in reality, it is happening!

Because, the floating presidency and the rest of the dead are an unquestionable leadership that has pushed the power of the state, which remains unjustly held, until it reaches its destination, and, in a spirit of joy, and without shame, in a way that aligns the state with a legitimate abuser. Apart from that, these are an uncompromising force by imitating political wisdom, week by week, to addresses directly the people of India, while remaining consistent with the cold and transparent concept of politics and economics.

Negligence and the virus may swipe away the political pride from Modi

The government’s ‘no action’ against the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India made it pretty evident that ‘electorial pride’ is more important than the citizens for them. In mid-March, the COVID-19 cases started soaring up in India again, taking the highest case toll to more than 4 lakhs! The social media posts and information from other countries were clearly stating that a new variant has emerged, and it would be more lethal than the prior variant. But the government ignored it all and continued walking on its way to the WB elections.

The citizens were hoping for better medical preparation and facilities to combat the virus. But what they got, in the end, is clearly seen everywhere around now. Tens of thousands, if not all, of the Indians, would have died and most of these lives could have been saved if we had been vaccinated at a better rate, placed orders for medical supplies on time, and would not have run out of oxygen, and more serious drugs. Perhaps then we would be able to prevent this global embarrassment of crushing our cold and graves.

Or India would not be an oxygen-producing airline from Germany, looking to import vaccines and suspend its shipping without obligatory orders. While talking about Atmanirbharta.

Boris Johanson, as every PM should, prepared a COVID response, and worked for the country. He started mass vaccination, imposed a lockdown, to save his citizens. But our PM appears frozen, not working against the virus by any means, giving false hopes to the citizens. The RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat said that the people and government became negligent after the first wave which caused such a pernicious second wave of COVID.