Vice President Venkaiah Naidu today expressed anguish over instances of stigmatizing COVID-19 patients and denial of dignified farewell to people, who succumbed to the virus. He said such incidents were totally uncalled for and urged the local communities and the society at large to prevent the recurrence of such happenings.
In a Facebook post, Mr Naidu said the need of the hour is to fight prejudice and nip it in the bud. he said otherwise, it can become more toxic than fake news and misinformation. Urging everybody to treat COVID-19 patients with compassion and empathy, he said it should be remembered that nobody is totally safe and the invisible virus can infect anybody.
Mr Naidu pointed out that since time immemorial, India is known as a land of tolerance and people have been displaying their empathic nature by coming to the assistance of those in distress. He described as “disturbing” the media reports of some people, including relatives, of stigmatizing and ostracizing those infected with Coronavirus, mainly due to fear of contracting the infection.
Referring to instances where people opposed providing burial space to those who died of COVID-19, he said it was totally unacceptable and goes against the age-old Indian traditions of being solidarity with bereaved family members.
Referring to Kargil Vijay Diwas today, the Vice President said the nation is ever grateful to Indian Armed Forces for their valor, patriotism and sacrifices in protecting the sovereignty of the motherland.
