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A video of a man carrying the dead body of his 11-year-old daughter on his shoulders, apparently on his way to a crematorium, has garnered attention online as the COVID crisis continues to rage in the country, making medical resources hard to come by.
The video comes out of Jalandhar city in the state of Punjab in Northern India, according to the Hindustan Times. There are conflicting reports as to if the girl had been diagnosed with COVID-19, though it appears she died due to an unrelated condition.
Migrant worker Dalip Kumar told local media that his 11-year-old daughter, Sonu, had come down with a fever two months ago, which he had initially tried to solve with at-home remedies and those sold by street peddlers. When no treatment worked, he took her to Jalandhar Civil Hospital where she was referred to Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar.
She was admitted to the surgical ward of Guru Nanak Hospital, part of GMC, according to the hospital certificate obtained by the Times of India. The certificate also states that "she was diagnosed with SAIO (subacute intestinal obstruction)." She died on May 9.
"I took her to Civil Hospital Jalandhar, from where she was sent to hospital in Amritsar. She was tested and treated for COVID-19 for a few days, but she died on May 9 evening," Kumar told the Times of India.
"On the same night, I brought her body here in an ambulance after paying Rs 2,500 ($34USD). The next day, I prepared for her cremation and arranged three quintal wood," he added.
The day after her death, Kumar reached out to his neighbors seeking help, according to the Hindustan Times, asking for aid in carrying her to a crematorium to perform her last rites. Some aspects of medical care in India, such as ambulances and hospital beds, have become hard to come by as the pandemic continues to cripple the country's healthcare system, meaning many wait to go to the hospital and are left to transport the sick or dead by themselves. Fearing a possible COVID infection, the neighbors refused.
Kumar then took up the lonely walk that was captured on the video, carrying his daughter's body on his shoulder as his son trails behind. His neighbors did arrive at the crematorium to pay their respects from a distance, according to the Hindustan Times.
After the video began catching attention on social media, Jalandhar deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori ordered an inquiry.
In a statement issued by Thori, according to the Times of India, he said, "according to an inquiry conducted by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) into the case, the cause of death was not COVID-19 as the girl had tested negative for the disease," and "the medical record at Civil Hospital Jalandhar also mentioned that the girl had 'acute gastroenteritis'."
He also said that crematorium protocol is only followed when the patient tests positive for COVID-19. Otherwise, the body is released to the family so they may take care of burial arrangements.
Other reports, such as those from The Tribune, say that the girl did initially receive a positive COVID test, leading to some confusion and speculation online.
Though the young girl's cause of death appears not to have been directly due to COVID, the video still touched the nerves of people online, as many saw it as another heartbreaking example of India's crumbling healthcare infrastructure.
In April, another video from India gained attention online, as it showed a son carrying his dead mother's body on a motorbike after he was unable to secure an ambulance to transport her to a crematorium.
