In a significant humanitarian gesture made on the occasion of the anniversary of martyrdom of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, as many as 56 activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and 30 others donated their bodies to the Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation, Chinnavutapalli.
The CPI (M) leaders who joined the cause included CPI (M) city secretary R. Raghu, State committee members Ch. Babu Rao and S. Venkata Rao. They said they were inspired by the example set by their veteran leader and former chief minister Jyoti Basu, whose body was handed over to a hospital for research.
At a function organised at Sundaraiah Bhavan, all the donors handed over the affidavits authorising the medical institute to use their bodies after their death for medical research, to the Director-General of the institute Chadalawada Nageswara Rao. Dr. Rao said the institute would perform the last rites to the mortal remains of the body after they outlasted their usefulness as per the likes of family members.
