Jamshedpur police dispose of woman after villagers protest cremation

FIR against villagers for putting hurdle in cremation �

Jamshedpur, April 23: Amidst on going fear of coronavirus gripped in the rural belt, police on Thursday recovered body of an elderly woman and got it disposed-off at a cremation ground at Patpur panchayat under Bahragora police station area of the Ghatshila sub-division.

The deceased Sulochana Nayak (61) who was a resident of Mohanpur village in Patpur panchayat died at home. As per the norms set the district administration, the body was taken to the primary health centre (PHC) where swab sample was taken from it for the Covid-19 test.  The health department to the sample tested and after it came out negative, it handed the body over to the deceased’s kin.

The family members took the body for cremation at the nearest cremation ground on Wednesday evening, but after a section of villagers opposed the cremation at the cremation ground fearing the spread of coronavirus, the bereaved family members carried the body to a nearby dry well and dropped it into it.

As the news of the body being dropped into a dry well reached to the Baharagora police station, a police team rushed to the well on Wednesday night, but could find only the plastic sheet the body had been wrapped with, but not the body.  This morning the police team went over to the well again and recovered the body and got it cremated on their own.

Superintendent of police (rural) Piyus Pandey confirmed that they recovered the body on Thursday and got it disposed-off.

“They villagers are gripped in fear of coronavirus. So they protested against the cremation. But we have decided to register a case against those who had objected to the cremation of the body and also against those who dropped the body into the dry-well instead of getting it cremated,” said Pandey.