Discrimination after death: Christian woman denied burial at Bastar public cemetery

A Christian woman from a village in Bastar was denied funeral at a public cemetery by Bajrang Dal activists and local villagers. As a result, she had to be buried in her family's own private land.

Bastar (Chhattisgarh): A Christian woman in Bastar was denied a funeral at a public cemetery on Monday after stones were pelted by local villagers and Bajrang Dal activists during the procession. It has been alleged that stones were pelted in the presence of police personnel. Facing such threats, the deceased's family changed plans and buried her at their own premises after one and a half days. The woman passed away on Sunday at Chattisgarh's Bhejripadar village which falls under the Parpa police station area.

The incident started on Sunday when the deceased family along with their relatives set out on the funeral procession. On their way, some Bajrang Dal activists along with local villagers blocked them and protested against the burial. The Parpa police who arrived at the spot tried to convince both parties but to no avail. An additional police force was also deployed when the situation started taking a turn for the worse.

The family attempted to go to the funeral on Monday as well. However, they were again subjected to protests on their way. The Christian family then left the body of the deceased on the road and came back to their place in desperation. Later, the police called up the family members and got the burial done on their own private land, amid the tense situation.

According to local villagers, protesters took to pelting stones at the police after the burial. However, this has not been confirmed by the police officials. At present, police personnel have been deployed at Bhejripadar village given the tense situation. Reacting to the incident, Narendra Bhavani, founder of the Chhattisgarh Yuva Manch said that it is an insult to the Indian Constitution. Bhavani also said that they will seek justice in the court.

"The deceased was subject to humiliation and had to be buried after a day and a half. Despite there being a public cemetery she was buried on her own private land. The officials of the district administration remained mute spectators. We are protesting against this injustice, authorities should pay attention to us," Bhavani said.