Anandi Simon, wife of deceased doctor, Dr. Simon Hercules, who passed away on Sunday, has made an appeal in a video to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami asking for a decent burial for her husband after authorities hurriedly finished the formalities due to hassles encountered at the Velangadu cemetery earlier this week. Dr. Simon had contracted the coronavirus from the patients he had been treating with Anandi Simon conveying his words in case he couldn't make it. She said Dr. Simon had told her, "If I don’t come home alive, then you bury me following our customs" and has now appealed that his body buried in a sealed coffin box be brought to the Kilpauk cemetery as per his final wish. Watch the video in the tweet below: 

Dr. Simon's death became a talking point across the state after his body was not allowed to be buried in the Kilpauk crematorium by locals who feared it could lead to a spread of the COVID-19 virus. Upon not being allowed at Kilpauk, family members of the deceased along with other doctors and the ambulance staff had tried performing Dr. Simon's last rites by shifting the venue to the Velangadu crematorium, where they had come across unfortunate scenes as people in the locality gathered around with sticks and started hurling stones.

As a result, the ambulance staff had gotten injured after which the police were called and Dr. Simon was buried with no untoward scenes reported thereafter. The incident led to a shock among many with the Chennai City Police Commissioner A. K. Viswanathan issuing a statement on Tuesday saying the Goondas Act will be brought into effect on all those who cause obstruction during the burial of coronavirus patients. As many as 20 persons are said to have been booked under Sections 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 307 (Attempting to murder), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and provisions of Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act for their actions at the Velangadu cemetery.