Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :
Highlights
- He said he has rostered himself for this work on Saturdays and Sundays.
- The deaths due to COVID are rising but that has not scared the powerlifter.
- Azmat has transported more than 15 bodies and performed the last rites.
There is so much confusion and fear around the COVID-19 pandemic and it has reached a point where even family members are afraid and reluctant to accept the bodies of those dying of the infection and give them a proper burial.
In the past few months, we have heard any number of stories where bodies of COVID-19 victims were disrespected by families and civic authorities due to the stigma around it.
But, in Bengaluru, a man doing his bit by ensuring that COVID-19 victims are given a proper burial.
42-year-old Mohammed Azmat doesn’t look like an average man for five feet and eight inches – he looks like a mountain of a man!
That is because he is a champion powerlifter, who set a record with a deadlift of 295 kg in an international powerlifting championship two years ago
But these days, the programme manager in DXC Technology, an IT firm is spending much of his time carrying bodies of COVID-19 victims and giving them proper last rites.
He said he has rostered himself for this work on Saturdays and Sundays.
“I was part of the drive for relief work during the lockdown and when I saw people dying in huge numbers in July, I decided to associate myself with the Mercy Mission,” Azmat told PTI.
The challenge those at Mercy Mission face is that the last rites is a time-consuming process, right from the procedures involved at the hospital and at burial grounds.
Besides, volunteers also have to confront protests, which further delays the procedure.
The deaths due to COVID are rising but that has not scared the powerlifter.
“Death is certain, so there is no need to be bothered much about it. But I do take the utmost precautions, which is multi-layered because I too have a family,” Azmat said.
Speaking about his experience, the champion powerlifter said “The pain I experience while carrying the body of someone who has died due to coronavirus can’t be explained.”
Since he joined two co-workers to carry the senior man to the Christian burial ground, Azmat has transported more than 15 bodies and performed the last rites.
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / India Times / Home> News> India / by Bobins Abraham / July 29th, 2020
