Amid COVID-19 lockdown, Banerjee's shraddh confined to family only

The bereaved family of PK Banerjee on Monday strictly followed the social distancing norms as the legendary footballer's shraddh was performed at his Saltlake residence, amid a 21-day national lockdown to fight the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Banerjee's two daughters Paula and Punra made a mass appeal to not attend the 10th day of the funeral ritual as only two of his four surviving brothers attended the ritual in the afternoon.

"Nobody was invited. My uncle (Prasun Banerjee) and I performed the last rituals," Banerjee's elder daughter Paula told PTI.

"We have made a mass appeal not to come for the function because of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. When things get normal, we will hold a large scale memorial service."
"We should not do anything that put human's lives at stake. That's why we are strictly following social distancing. At no point there are more than eight or nine people."
"However we did not face any difficulty, we got help from the community. (Sujit) Bose has been very helpful and ensured a smooth conduct of the ceremony, even as we cut down on a lot of things."