New Delhi: A viral video from Kolkata is being circulated on social media since Wednesday that shows some decomposed bodies being dragged into the van. The video is said to be from South Kolkata's Garia locality.

Also Read| Disparity In MCD & Delhi Govt's Covid Death Toll; The Blame Game Continues

The viral video led to protests by local residents, who suspected the bodies were of Covid-19 victims. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday expressed anguish over the way bodies were being disposed off and tweeted "disposal of dead bodies with heartless, indescribable insensitivity" and forced the authorities to issue clarifications.


On the other hand, Kolkata Municipal Corporation administrator and former Mayor Firhad Hakim stated that it cannot be bodies of COVID-19 patients as dead bodies of coronavirus patients are burnt at a specific burning ground at Dhapa.

He also stated that earlier unidentified bodies were disposed of at Dhapa, but post the COVID-19 outbreak, unidentified bodies are cremated elsewhere.

The Kolkata Police also refuted the claims and tweeted, "The West Bengal Health Department has informed that dead bodies were not of COVID patients, but were unclaimed/unidentified bodies from Hospital Morgue. Legal action is being taken against persons spreading #FakeNews (sic)."

However, Opposition BJP leader Dilip Ghosh blamed the TMC govt and said, "The bodies were hidden, the bodies of Covid victims. To suppress the Covid death toll, many suspicious things have been done."

Also watch| Inhumane behavior with corpses of Corona patients in Kolkata

The panic started on Wednesday afternoon when a Kolkata Municipal Corporation vehicle allegedly carrying 13 unidentified bodies reached the cremation. Fearing that the bodies might be of coronavirus patients, nearly 200 local residents soon gathered and started protesting.

In the meantime, the BJP state president has demanded resignation from KMC administer and asked them to produce records of the dead bodies if it is not of COVID-19 patients.