After a large number of bodies were discovered buried in shallow sand graves or washed up on the Ganges river banks in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has faced harsh criticism.
Hundreds of bodies were buried in the sand along the Ganga’s banks as rain exposed shrouds in Prayagraj’s Sangam area, according to photos. Dogs were digging the graves and feeding on the bodies on the riverbanks, causing panic among residents in the area.
Hundreds of bodies were separated by bamboo sticks and covered with saffron cloth and buried along the banks in Prayagraj. After scores of corpses covered in saffron shrouds were exposed due to rain, the Prayagraj municipal corporation dispatched a team to the banks of the Ganga in the Sangam area to cover the bodies.
The bamboo sticks that had been used to mark the bodies buried in the sand had also been removed.
At cremation ghats in Prayagraj, civic workers covered bodies with sand once more. Those who have a tradition of burying their ancestors have been given their own plot. Officials also said that adequate timber arrangements have been made at cremation sites to prevent the deceased from being buried along the Ganga’s banks.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to maintain water police patrols by the State Disaster Response Force and the Provincial Armed Constabulary around all of the state’s rivers, and to ensure that bodies are not disposed of in water under any circumstances.
Despite the government’s orders not to bury the dead in the sand along the Ganga’s banks, many people can still be seen doing so.
To address the problem, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that it would enlist the help of religious leaders to raise public awareness about the dangers of dumping bodies in rivers.
The process of burying bodies on the banks of rivers or disposing of bodies in rivers as part of the last rites, according to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is not environmentally friendly. According to a spokesperson for the chief minister, the last rites should be performed respectfully, and financial assistance will be provided.
There should be a dialogue with the religious leaders in this regard as there is a need to make people aware of it, an official said.
Even in the case of bodies being left unclaimed, the last rites should be performed according to religious beliefs, Adityanath said.
