He provided succour, died of COVID. Irate Chennai mob defiles his last journey

Dr Simon Hercules, Dr Pradeep Kumar
Dr Simon, Dr Pradeep Kumar

Dr Simon Hercules, a neurosurgeon in Chennai, was on duty when he himself succumbed to the dreaded coronavirus. For his family, the ordeal had just begun. They were chased away by a group of people when they went to bury the surgeon’s body. The local residents feared that the dead body could cause the spread of the virus. Dr K Pradeep Kumar, who had worked with Dr Hercules, drove the ambulance back to the burial ground with police protection. The orthopaedic surgeon buried his dear friend before the mob could band together again.

I feel only pain and fury. It is a basic human right to get a dignified farewell after death. We failed in extending that basic courtesy to a man who had dedicated his life to serving others. It was heart-rending.

More than a brilliant neurosurgeon, Dr Simon was a kind man. He was busy offering succour to people when Chennai was flooded. He threw Iftar feasts during the Ramzan without fail. Even during the times of the coronavirus, he was distributing masks, gloves and sanitizers to the police. Even in those difficult times, he never failed in discharging his primary duty as a healer. He must have been infected with the coronavirus from one of his patients.

I went to Apollo Hospital on Sunday with immense grief over the departure of my dear friend. I followed the ambulance on the way to the Kilpauk cemetery in my car. Midway, the corporation officials told us that a crowd had gathered at the cemetery and they would not let a COVID-19 victim be buried there. They suggested that we go to the Anna Nagar cemetery.

Within 15 minutes of us reaching the Anna Nagar cemetery – an excavator was digging the pit and Simon’s wife and son and the corporation officials standing nearby – a mob rushed in with rods and stones in hand. They started pelting stones. The excavator operator was hit in the head. The glass panes of the ambulance were shattered. Some stones landed on the dead body. The miscreants even targeted Simon’s wife and son. All of us ran for cover. Somehow we got the ambulance out of the compound.

The driver and the helper had gashing wounds on their heads. They were sent to a hospital. We returned to the cemetery after an hour with police protection. I put on safety gear and drove the ambulance, heavily damaged from the attack. Two hospital employees joined me. I was the only one in safety gear and I carried my friend’s body to the pit and buried him. Tears were clouding my sight yet those moments were stamped in my mind. We were in a hurry lest the gang returned.

I had visited Dr Simon’s New Hope Hospital in Chennai as an orthopaedic consultant. He used to introduce each patient as someone close to him. I can’t get over the pain that such a man ended up in such a way. You have to realize that every doctor is risking his life in the line of duty.

Please do not do anything that would trouble them. Burying a COVID-19 victim does not lead to infection in that area in any way. The government has to urgently bring in legislation to make it a non-bailable offence to attack a doctor on duty.

I have done what everyone would do for a friend. I am not a hero. I am just a human being. If humans who discharge their basic duties are considered heroes, it only means that humanity is no more. I pray that we never have to see such a world.

(Dr K Pradeep Kumar is an orthopaedic surgeon at the Sir Evan Stafford Hospital at Ambattur in Chennai)

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