Scores of dead bodies float in Ganges near Buxar

Hundreds of highly decomposed bodies surfaced in the Ganges river near Buxar in Bihar. The incident was reported near Mahadev Ghat where dogs were seen wading through the washed-up bodies.

Buxar (Bihar): In a shocking incident, ETV Bharat’s camera caught at multiple locations from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, scores of dead bodies floating in the River Ganges on Monday.

Mahadev Ghat on the banks of Ganges in the Buxar district of Bihar was the site where around 40 to 50 dead bodies were seen afloat and dogs wade through the scattered bodies.

The bodies at the ghat were in a highly decomposed state. The river Ganges which flows from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar and beyond have numerous ghats on its banks where the last rites of the dead take place under normal circumstances and the ashes are immersed in the waters.

Scores of dead bodies float in Ganges near Buxar

Geographical location where the floating bodies found

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Bodies in large numbers were also found afloat near the ghats of the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. Around more than 80 bodies were found in two villages near the riverbank, hardly a kilometre from each other in Uttar Pradesh.

The bodies found near Ghazipur were wrapped as per Covid protocol, which indicates that those were the bodies of Covid positive patients. Notably, Tanda, Kathi and Nadia Didora villages in Ghazipur have a culture of not cremating the bodies. The area is also having few lakes around which are connected to these villages. It is suspected that people in these villages immersed the bodies in the Ganges by tying them with the stones as part of the last rites.

To understand why bodies were washing onto the river banks, ETV Bharat visited several cremation ghats in the region including the Balughat crematorium in Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli which is about 50 km from Ghazipur district.

According to the local residents, many bodies including from the nearby districts were brought to the crematorium for the last rites in the past few days as the region is witnessing a surge in Covid deaths.

Following this, there is huge pressure on crematoriums. This can be one of the reasons why the bodies are being immersed in the waters as cremations are witnessing long delays and bodies pile up outside the crematorium.

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However, according to tradition, a small portion of the bodies including those of newborns and monks are left in the Ganges but the number is usually one or two.

Another assumption arrived at after investigating the matter on the ground is that the people are trying to save the cost of expenses incurred to cremate bodies of Covid patients as the expenses for performing the last rites of covid patients has risen by almost 20 per cent.

Taking note of ETV Bharat's report, the district administration swung into action and initiated an inquiry. The bodies were recovered from the Ganges river following which they were buried with the help of an earth mover. Buxar DM has also assured a proper investigation into the matter.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Ashok Kumar, BDO, Chausa said, "It's a big tragedy. Uttar Pradesh's Birpur and Baregam are on the banks of the river Ganga and nearer to Buxar. Mahadev Ghat is a place where floating bodies tend to get stranded on the river bank. As villagers say, around 400 to 500 bodies were seen here but the CEO and myself have seen 40 to 50 bodies here. We will properly investigate into the matter."

On the other hand, reacting to the incident Buxar SDO KK Upadhyay said, "10-12 corpses that were seen in the river came floating from a distance. It seems these corpses were floating for the last 5-7 days. We do not have a tradition of immersing bodies in rivers. We are making arrangements to cremate these corpses."

Reacting to the report, JDU Spokesperson Sunil Singh said that efforts will be made to find out where the bodies have come from while Buxar Congress MLA Munna Tiwari has alleged the laxity in government administration which failed to give the right of proper cremation to the dead.

Many Left MLAs have also slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over carelessness.

At ground level, local residents have alleged that lack of proper resources for cremation including firewood have forced people to dump the bodies into the river.