Chennai, April 23, 2020: Archbishop George Antonysamy of Chennai-Mylapore has rejected allegations that the burial of Doctor Simon Hercules, a Covid 19 victim, was delayed because of differences between two Christian denominations.

The archbishop made the clarification after rumors on social media alleged that the doctor’s body was released and first brought to the Kilpauk Christian cemetery, it was sent away because the deceased was Catholic whereas the cemetery belonged to the Church of South India.

Among those who spread this misinformation was Tamil Nadu BJP leader SG Suryah, who later deleted his tweet.

The archbishop said they have welcomed the doctor’s wife, Anandhi Hercule’s requests and agreed to have his body buried in the Kilpauk cemetery.

Forced to dismiss the allegations, the archbishop provides a timeline of events in a statement that he has issued regarding the burial. In this, he says that on April 19, at close to 8:30 pm, a relative the doctor received a permission letter from the Church to bury the body at the Kilpauk Church.

“However, as soon as he died, the body was handed over to his family and it came under the control of the Chennai Corporation because he died of an infectious disease,” the archbishop explained.

The doctor’s friends and relatives decided to not wait till the next day and bury the body the same night. So instead of the church cemetery, it was decided that they will bury the body in a cemetery belonging to the corporation.

“So, no relative approached the church for the burial on Sunday. By then people around the corporation cemetery came to know that a person who died of coronavirus was being buried there and they held demonstrations. Efforts by the police to placate them, ended in failure.”

The archbishop says that as a result the body was taken to the Velangadu cemetery on New Avadi Road, following which the funeral party was assaulted with sticks and stones by local residents who falsely believed that the infection from the body could spread.

The Catholic prelate maintained that allegation that the burial was stopped over disagreements between two Christian denominations is false and that the spin on the episode had deeply concerned him. The archbishop said that the rumors regarding the incident were regrettable, unfounded and poisonous.

“In these difficult times, with coronavirus, acts of humanity must grow. We shouldn’t allow for communal fights, violence, or individual aggressions,” says the archbishop.

He further stated that he heard Anandhi Simon’s plea to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, where she asked that her husband be buried as planned and the archbishop has offered the Kilpauk cemetery as the doctor’s final resting place. It is not immediately clear whether Dr Simon’s body will be moved to the Kilpauk cemetery.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/chennai-church-rejects-allegations-dr-simons-burial-was-refused-them-123153