Port Blair, May 11: At a time when the kin and blood relatives of COVID-19 patients refrain from touching or cremating the bodies of their loved ones due to stigma and fear, an NGO namely "Touch-A-Life Foundation" (TLF) a non-profit organisation, under the guidance of Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Hon'ble Member of Parliament has taken up the noble task of conducting last rites of people who are succumbing to COVID-19 infection. The service is being done free of cost and irrespective of religion.

As part of this mission, on 10/05/2021, the Touch-A-Life Foundation gave a dignified farewell to Shri. Rajendran who succumbed to COVID-19. The departed person hailed from Hutbay and he only had a wife & small child in Port Blair who were incapable to perform the COVID protocols.

The information about the corpse was passed by Smt. Mariyam Bibi, Ex Adhyaksh Zilla Parishad to Shri. M.A Sajid, Coordinator TLF, after which TLF volunteers brought the body from G.B Pant Hospital to Junglighat crematorium, where the last rites were performed. The TLF team followed all COVID protocols and religious rituals while cremating the dead body.

TLF volunteers included Shri. M.A Sajid, Shri. Zubair Ali and Shri. Saurav Nair. The organisation only cremates the bodies of the destitute whose family members refuse to cremate them, people whose family is struck in mainland or in other districts and those deceased patients whose whole family is in quarantine.