Dhanbad social activist Ankit Rajgaria and his team of four are helping in the funeral arrangements of Covid victims who have no family members to help perform the last rites.

Rajgaria, 32, an activist of Karkend and his team, including Chaturbhuj Kumar, an insurance company agent of Kendua; Banti Vishwakarma, a light and sound house owner of same area; Ravi Shekhar, a tea leaf wholesaler of Bhuli and Sahid Ansari of Bhuli, have so far carried out the funeral of four Covid victims since May 9.

Rajgaria is the first person from the states of Bihar and Jharkhand to undergo Bharat Biotech’s vaccination trial in Patna in December 2019 and January 2020.

“While serving Covid affected persons by arranging oxygen cylinders for the last one month, we realised that many people who have no one in the family are facing a lot of difficulty in carrying out the funeral of their family members, losing life due to Covid as very few are coming forward to participate in funeral due to Covid scare,” said Rajgaria to The Telegraph Online on Sunday.

Rajgaria, 32, an activist of Karkend and his team, including Chaturbhuj Kumar, an insurance company agent of Kendua; Banti Vishwakarma, a light and sound house owner of same area; Ravi Shekhar, a tea leaf wholesaler of Bhuli and Sahid Ansari of Bhuli Gautam Dey

“We received the first call for funeral from the daughter of a 75 year old Covid suspected victim of Bhuli on May 9 and carried the funeral by observing all the laid protocols of wearing PPE Kits and packing the dead body as per the laid norms in Bastacola, as she had no one to help,” said Rajgaria.

“On the very next day on May 10 we received another call from the wife of a 45 year Covid deceased person of Bank Colony in Gosaindih and as the lady was three months pregnant and his brother in law were the only two persons in family, we helped them in carrying the dead body in Bastacola crematorium” said Rajgharia.

Banti Vishwakarma, a friend of Rajgariha said, “I readily agreed when Ankit put forward the idea to me to take up the responsibility of carrying out the last rites of such people who have no one or very people to look after.”

“We received the third request for a funeral from a Junior lady doctor of Sahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital, whose father, though declared Covid negative, died due to lungs affected by Covid,” said Vishwakarma.

“We carried out the cremation of the fourth body today of a Covid affected nephew of a doctor of Shakti Nursing home at Bastacola as very few in the family came to help,” said Vishwarkarma.

“We also received the call for the funeral of an elderly Covid affected couple two days ago but as the message of us carrying out the funeral went viral in local social media, some relatives came forward and we are are happy that our basic objective to arouse the sentiments has been successful through our work,” said another member of the group Chaturbhuj Kumar.