Family members of a 69-year-old woman who died of COVID-19 in a private hospital here, refused to accept her body and cremate it, forcing the district administration to perform her last rites, said officials on Monday.
Her son refused to perform the last rights despite authorities seeking to give him the requisite protective gears and assuring him that it would shield him against the infection, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Iqbal Singh Sandhu.
Admitted to a private hospital here on March 31, the Shimlapuri village resident died on Sunday.
"It was a big shock for everybody when relatives including, son of the deceased, did not come to claim her body. The body was later claimed by the district administration," said Mr Sandhu.
He said the administrative authorities approached family members twice but they refused to claim the body.
The son of deceased was also assured that he would be given protective gear for cremation but he refused to perform the last rites, he added.
The last rites were performed late mid night by district administration officials while Kaur's son and other family members watched the cremation from a distance of over 100 metres.
The incident comes close on the heels of Amritsar's Verka village residents refusing to allow the cremation of former ''Hazuri Raagi'' Nirmal Singh Khalsa, who died of COVID-19, in his native village cremation ground.
Video: Children Jump On E-Rickshaw, Chase Foreigners For Money In Delhi On Past Conflicts With Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli's Clear Message To BCCI Promoted As T20I Captain Over Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav Made His Leadership Stance Clear 'Entire NEET Paper Solved In 45 Minutes Before Exam?': Top Court To Centre 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters "Had God On My Side": Donald Trump Recounts Being Shot At During Rally Google Brings AI To US Broadcast Of Paris Olympics Video: Children Jump On E-Rickshaw, Chase Foreigners For Money In Delhi "Every Time I Try To Eat Healthy" - Video Creator's Editing Skills Amaze Internet Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.