COVID-19 Lockdown: Son Unable To Attend Father’s Last Rites In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: By now, stories of the next of kin not being able to attend the last rites of their loved ones due to COVID-19 and the lockdown abound. In the Odisha capital, Sukanta Pradhan could not be present at his father’s cremation at Ranpur in Nayagarh district on Thursday. He only saw the rituals over video calling.

Hajari Pradhan (82) breathed his last at his residence in Unit-I area here on Wednesday night. A former employee of the Odisha Health Department, his two sons, Sushil and Suresh and his daughters were present. The youngest, Sukanta who lives in Chennai could not reach due to the lockdown.

Although Sukanta had obtained a valid pass to travel to Odisha from Chennai Police, he was prevented from entering Odisha by the authorities at the border.