Around 300 villagers in Arambagh’s Brindabanpur blocked a state highway for over 12 hours in phases on Friday to protest against cremation of Covid-19 patients near their area as they feared it would spread the infection.

Police and administrative officials tried to convince the villagers that there was no chance of infection spread as the cremation site was 2km away from residential areas. However, the villagers refused to budge and blocked the highway.

“The police are coming at midnight and cremating Covid bodies at our village. The villagers who go to feed their cattle found several leftovers of the bodies, including clothes. We are not ready to allow such cremation in our area,” said Mangal Hansda, a villager.

Sources said the villagers had started blocking the Arambagh-Khanakul state highway from Thursday night. After a blockade for five hours, the villagers resumed the agitation early on Friday morning and it continued till 3pm.

On Friday afternoon, a police team and local block officials went and spoke to the villagers. Heeding to the demand of the villagers, fire brigade was called to sanitise the village.

“The villagers are rigid and we suspect that they are doing it over panic and instigation by a group of outsiders. The land where the new cremation ground has been set up is far away from habitats as it is located on the bank of the river Dwarakeswar,” said a police officer in Hooghly’s Arambagh.

“However, the villagers are very rigid and we will change the place if they stick to their stance. We have already cremated three bodies there,” he said.

Sub-divisional officer in Arambagh Nripendra Singh said: “The villagers were instigated by some outsiders. Our staff and officers are trying to convince them that there was no fear of infection spreading to the village.”