Civil societies and monks  staged protests on Monday morning demanding cremation of all people, irrespective of religion, who died of COVID-19 virus in Sri Lanka, reported News 1st.

A group, consisting of monks and civil societies organizations, today protested in front of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. They have also handed over a letter to Health Minister Pavithra Vanniarachchi.

Earlier after protests from the Muslim community, the government was thinking of the burial of Muslim victims in a cemented box in designated places. The move enraged other communities who accused the government of not following the guidelines prescribed by the experts in this regard.

The letter, given to the health minister today, also mentioned cremation of victims was legalized by the expert committee constituted by the Health Ministry. The country’s Supreme Court also approved the controversial policy, the letter said.

Sri Lanka isn’t the only nation affected by this controversy. The issue also created controversy and divided public opinion in neighbouring Maldives. In a letter to the Maldives President  Mohammad Solih, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksha earlier asked his help in burial of Sri Lanka Muslims in the Maldives.