Covid-19 in India: Daughter jumps into funeral pyre at father's cremation

In a tragic incident, a 34-year-old woman sustained severe burns in India's western border state of Rajasthan after she jumped on the funeral pyre of her father during his cremation.

Her father had died after contracting Covid-19, police said on Wednesday.

Damodardas Sharda, 73, died at a hospital in Rajasthan's Barmer district on Tuesday (May 4) due to Covid-19, police said.

While Sharda was being cremated, the youngest of his three daughters, Chandra Sharda, suddenly jumped on the pyre, the police told Indian news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), adding that although she was pulled out of it by people around, she sustained around 70 per cent burn injuries.

She was taken to a hospital nearby and later referred to a hospital in Jodhpur for treatment.

"Damodardas Sharda had three daughters. His wife died some time ago. The youngest of his three daughters jumped on the funeral pyre," said Prem Prakash, Station House Officer (SHO), Kotwali police station.

Sharda, a resident of Barmer, was admitted to the district hospital on Sunday (May 2) after testing positive for Covid-19 and died two days later.

The police officer said the youngest daughter had insisted to go to crematorium for her father's last rites.