Policeman Madegowda was seen holding incense sticks and praying before the man's grave.
Three policemen in Karnataka, in an unusual gesture, performed the last rites of a mentally challenged man earlier this week after his family members refused to carry out the last rites fearing they'll catch coronavirus.
The 44-year-old man was trampled to death by an elephant four days ago in the border district of Chamarajanagar district near Mysore. The area has frequent cases of human animal conflicts.
After the postmortem, his family in a village in the district refused to take the body.
Policeman Madegowda got a grave dug for the man in Chamarajanagar.
Assistant Sub Inspector Madegowda and two other cops ensured that the man got dignity in death. They performed his last rites at a Hindu cemetery in Chamarajanagar. There was no priest present.
Mr Madegowda got a grave dug in the cemetery with an earthmover. It was the officer who brought a piece of white cloth to cover the body. With the help of the two other cops, he buried the man in the grave. Madegowda was seen holding incense sticks and praying before the man's grave.
"The deceased was not mentally stable. The Assistant Sub Inspector performed the last rites three days back," said police officer Sunil, in-charge of the Chamrajanagar East police station.