Hours after a 20-second video showing municipal workers dumping a dead body in a garbage van in Balrampur district went viral on Thursday, the state government suspended seven employees, including three policemen and four Nagar Palika personnel, said an official.

The video shows that the body of a middle-aged man, who was identified as Mohammed Anwar (45), being picked up by three municipal workers and dumped into a garbage van, the policemen were also present at the spot.The incident took place near Tehsil Gate of Utraula block in Balrampur on Wednesday evening, said Dev Ranjan Verma, SP Balrampur.

Anwar, a resident of Balrampur, had gone to a local government office, when he collapsed at its gate and died at the spot. The reason of his death is not known as yet.

An ambulance was parked near the gate of the office, but suspecting the man to be infected with coronavirus, refused to transport the dead body.Later, the municipal workers bundled the dead body in a garbage van. Some passersby made the video of the incident that went viral.Soon after, administration swung into action and DM Balrampur Krisnha Karunesh ordered an inquiry into the incident.

“A probe was ordered and those found guilty have been suspended,” Karunesh told reporters.SP Balrampur told reporters that the incident should not have happened.

“This is inhuman. They must have done it out of corona fear but still, it should not have happened. Police sub inspector Ravindra Kumar Raman, two police constables Subham Patel and Sahilendra Sharma have been suspended,” he told reporters.

A senior police official said the SP has ordered the cops to be sensitive about Covid-19 situation and avoid such incidents.An official added that Anwar was a resident of Sahzora village under Sadullahnagar police station in Balrampur and had died when he had gone to a local government office on Wednesday.The dead body has been handed over to the family members for funeral, an officer said.