Hindus revere the Ganga as the holiest of rivers but consigning bodies to it is not part of any religion’s traditions, including Hinduism. On Monday, scores of dead bodies had been washed up on the banks of Ganga in Ghazipur and Ballia districts. Bodies were also found in Buxar in Bihar. A second wave of the virus is ravaging parts of India, with deaths rising significantly in recent weeks. Most of the country’s crematoriums have run out of spaces. Four days after dead bodies of suspected Covid patients were spotted floating on the Ganga river in eastern UP and Bihar, reports have now shown that multiple bodies have been buried in sand at two locations along the Ganga river in Unnao district. Uttar Pradesh is one of the India’s most populous state. Local resident Chandra Mohan said: “Private hospitals are looting people. Common people are not left with money to pay a priest and spend more on cremation at the river bank. They are asking 2,000 rupees just to get the corpse out of the ambulance. The river has become their last recourse so people are immersing corpses in the river.”
India’s second COVID-19 wave seems to have flattened but the climb down will be a more prolonged, long drawn-out process than the first and will possibly run till July, said eminent virologist Shahid Jameel. According to the scientist, COVID-19 cases in the second wave also won’t come down in as steady a fashion as they did after the first wave.
“In the first wave, we did see a steady decline. But remember… this time we are starting from a higher number. Instead of 96,000-97,000 cases, we are starting from over 400,000. So it will take that much longer. And during the process at every time point, you’ll have a lot of cases,” Jameel explained.
In his view, the actual mortality data for India is completely wrong. “… not because of some evil design by someone or for a group of people or the state or whatever. But the way we record data I think is faulty.”
Unnao District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, “Some people do not burn the bodies but bury them in the sand by the river. After I got information, I have sent officials to the spot. I have asked them to carry out an enquiry and we will take action.” Shirish Gupta, a local businessman, said: “Monsoon is barely a month away and once the Ganga river becomes flooded with water, these bodies will be washed ashore. The district administration should exhume the bodies and perform a proper cremation.” The central government has taken serious note of the issue, with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday seeking an investigation by both states. “Floating bodies in Ganga in Buxar, Bihar is unfortunate. It is surely a matter of investigation. [Narendra] Modi government is committed to maintaining piety and continuity of mother Ganga. States [Bihar and UP] concerned must take cognizance of the matter immediately,” he tweeted. Eversince the death toll in the ongoing pandemic began rising, the prices of performing cremation have also shot up.
“A package for cremation according to Hindu rites, is now between Rs 15,000 to 20,000. It is obvious that poor people cannot afford it and they are opting for riverside burials,” said Gupta.
Locals believe the shortage of wood for funeral pyres might be one reason why corpses are being abandoned in this manner. They have also said no arrangements are being made for the last rites by officials, and that the stench continues to haunt them, triggering health concerns.
Many believe the abandoned bodies can be linked to deaths that have not made it to official Covid figures in what may be a proof of an escalating Covid crisis.
