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The family of a 35-year-old man who died in April of last year due to
Covid-19 have been living with his body ever since, thinking he was only
in a coma and would eventually wake up.
Vimlesh Sonkar, a young Income Tax Officer in Ahmedabad was admitted to
Moti hospital on 19th April 2021 and pronounced dead only three days
later after becoming infected with the coronavirus. A death certificate
was handed to the man’s family, but they refused to believe he had
passed away and instead of giving him the last rights took his dead body
home and cared for it as if he would eventually wake up. The man’s
mummified remains were discovered a few days ago, when a team from his
workplace was sent to investigate his long-term absence.
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“The person had died on April 22, 2021 during the second wave of Covid.
He had bilateral pneumonia,” the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Kanpur,
Alok Ranjan, told The Sunday Express. “After he died, he was taken to a
local nursing home where he was declared dead. A death certificate was
also issued where the cause of death was mentioned as ‘bilateral
pneumonia'”.
It’s unclear why Vimlesh’s family didn’t want to accept the fact that he
had passed away. The Times of India reports that they took his body to
another hospital for a second opinion, and even when doctors there
confirmed his death, they still took his corpse back home and treated it
like that of a coma patient that might wake up one day. According to the
Free Press Journal, the family was ready to give the man his last rites,
but first they put an oximeter on one of his fingers, and after it
showed a pulse and the oxygen level in his blood, they decided he was
still alive and canceled the funeral.
One thing is for sure, though – Vimlesh Sonkar’s family lived with his
dead body in the same house for a year and a half, genuinely thinking
that he was in a coma and would one day wake up. His wife, his parents,
his brothers and their families, all of whom lived in the same house,
took care of him, cleaning his body with Dettol disinfectant three times
a day, changing his clothes daily and leaving the air conditioning on
for 24 hours a day.
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“Whenever his office asked the family about his whereabouts, they said
Vimlesh was ill,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express. “The
family also brought in oxygen cylinders and told locals that he was in a
coma and was being treated at home. They were convinced that he was
alive and will get better.”
The shocking discovery of Vimlesh Sonkar’s body was made by a team sent
by his office to check why he had been absent from work for so long.
Despite the care provided by members of his family, the 35-year-old
man’s body had deteriorated severely since his death, with one
eye-witness describing it as a mummy with the flesh dried up on the
bones. That didn’t seem to give the family any clues, though…
Police was notified about the situation, and Vimlesh’s body was once
again taken to a hospital where his death was once again confirmed.
After this, his family finally agreed to have his body cremated.
“As no crime was committed here, we will not be taking any action
against anyone. The family was still convinced that he was alive till
his body was taken away on Friday by officials,” CMO Alok Ranjan said.
“On Friday night, the remains of the body were cremated in the presence
of police, other officials and Vimlesh’s family. The family members had
to be convinced for the cremation.”
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