<span style="color: #222222;">Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has said that doctors and the medical fraternity are risking their lives to save people during the COVID-19 Pandemic and people need to respect them and lend their support in these testing times. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In a series of tweets, Mr Naidu said, he is deeply disturbed by a news that there was a 36-hour delay to find a resting place to the body of a 69-year-old popular Meghalaya doctor following strong resistance from the local people. Expressing deep concern and agony over the incident, the Vice President said, such incidents are a blot on the society's consciousness and of great concern for people irrespective of party, religion and region. He said, there is an urgent need to educate the people and remove misconceptions on COVID-19 to prevent such inhuman incidents in future. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr Naidu said, it is a matter of deep anguish that such an incident occurred in spite of the advisory issued by the Central Government last month in this regard. He urged citizens to be empathic and respond compassionately and not react irrationally, especially during these testing times. He said, people must act responsibly and not believe in rumours. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Vice President said, the need of the hour is to create greater social awareness among the general public by various stakeholders. Mr Naidu expressed sadness on a similar incident in Chennai, where the locals resisted cremation of a doctor hailing from Nellore following his death in a city hospital.</span><br />''