No help, man carries daughter’s body on shoulders in Jalandhar

Ajay Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, May 15

The video of a man carrying the body of his 11-year-old daughter on his shoulders and walking along the road in Ram Nagar, Jalandhar, has gone viral on the Internet.

While the video was shot on May 10 by a commuter, it left netizens outraged over the government’s apathetic attitude.

Dilip, 51, father of deceased Sonu, today told The Tribune that his daughter was ill for the past two months with symptoms of indigestion. “On someone’s recommendation, I took her to Amritsar where doctors said she was Covid positive, but she died on Sunday around 6.30 pm,” he said.

Taking cognisance of the video, DC Ghanshyam Thori ordered a probe, saying the minor was not a Covid fatality.

“As per the inquiry report conducted by the SDM, the cause of death was not Covid-19 as she tested negative. The deceased was earlier admitted to the Jalandhar Civil Hospital from where she was referred to the Amritsar Medical College. An ambulance carried the patient to Amritsar, where she remained admitted in the surgical ward,” he said.

However, Dilip denied the claims, saying not only doctors in Amritsar told him on May 9 that his daughter was positive, but also shifted her to Covid ward on the third floor. He returned to Jalandhar in a private ambulance after borrowing money.

He said the video was shot when he returned with the body and went to the cremation ground with his son to perform the last rites. A daily wager, Dilip said he didn’t understand Punjabi and the hospital staff in Amritsar didn’t guide him. “Even the ambulance driver asked me to pay Rs 6,000-7,000 to reach Jalandhar,” he said, adding: “The hospital staff said they provide ambulance only between 9 am and 6 pm. After pleading multiple times, a private ambulance driver agreed to drop me for Rs 2,500.”

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