LEADERS of various Hindu community groups are once again calling for the restriction of the open pyre funeral rites for Covid-19 victims to be lifted as soon as possible.
In a joint press release on Thursday, the groups called upon Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram to immediately take all necessary steps to remove the ban on open pyre cremations for Covid-19 decedents.
“The prohibition is culturally and religiously insensitive. It is harsh, oppressive and disproportionate. It has imposed an arbitrary and disproportionate financial burden on persons who must spend an extra eight to ten thousand dollars per crematorium use, over and above the traditional cost of final rites. This prohibition was enacted without consultation and is directly repugnant to the collective conscience and identity of the Hindu Community,” the release stated.
While understanding of the implemented protocols, the Hindu community was at a disadvantage, financially and culturally with respect to the funeral rites of Covid-19 afflicted loved ones.
The 13-member group include the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha and the Inter-Religious Organisation.
The group stated that both the minister and the CMO and their representatives failed or refused to provide scientific reasons for the prohibition.
“Respectfully, it is either that the Minister and the CMO have no justification for continuing this prohibition or they do not think it important enough to explain to the Hindu community why they have implemented and continue to enforce this prohibition that has caused so much additional grief and hardship to Hindu families. In either case, such conduct is inconsistent with the high standards of accountability and transparency expected of public office at this time,” they stated.
Referring to a time when Hindus could not have proper funeral rites in their manner, the organisations stated that the ban without proper justification “not only alienates the current generation of Hindus from their core beliefs and identity but it also further tramples upon the legacy of our ancestors who fought for this right.”
