On Tuesday afternoon, advocate Anjali Chauhan stood facing the body of her mentor at Dayanand Muktidham Crematorium in Central Delhi. Her m...
On Tuesday afternoon, advocate Anjali Chauhan stood facing the body of her mentor at Dayanand Muktidham Crematorium in Central Delhi. Her mentor, Supreme Court lawyer Anip Sachthey, 65, was battling Covid-19 as well as continuing his treatment for liver cancer when his oxygen levels dropped on Monday, Chauhan said.
His family secured an oxygen cylinder after hours of searching, but it could not be linked to the venturi mask, said Chauhan. Sachthey died at his residence that evening. He had served as a senior executive member of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
But it was a long wait before his family members could cremate his body. His wife and daughter had reached the crematorium at 11 am but were told that there were 25 others waiting in line to cremate. Both had donned PPE kits and stood waiting next to his body.
“We have been calling crematoriums since last night, but there are no slots,” said Chauhan, who was waiting with Sachthey’s family at the crematorium at 1.40 pm on Tuesday. “You can see we are just waiting,” she said. “We have laid the body down.”
Chauhan’s ordeal of waiting for a cremation is not uncommon in Delhi, one of the worst hit cities...
