E-Paper
Death in times of lockdown: Ashes of dead piling up at Haryana cremation grounds
The district administrations have asked the families to keep the ashes with them till the normalcy returns, while banning the gathering of more than 20 people at a funeral.
With the Haryana borders sealed in order to contain the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) spread, bereaved families are finding it difficult to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the Ganges.
The district administrations have asked the families to keep the ashes with them till the normalcy returns, while banning the gathering of more than 20 people at a funeral.
Many, however, have started immersing the ashes of the cremated in Yamuna and Saraswati rivers that flow through the state.
“We had to immerse the ashes of my father in the Yamuna as we could not cross the border to reach Haridwar,” said Vinod Kumar, a resident of Nandi Khalsa village in Karnal.
Similarly, Harish Dhawan of Yamunanagar’s Antawa said, “When we reached the Uttarakhand border, police stopped us and we had to perform the last rites of my father-in-law at Sukartal Tirth on the Haryana-Uttar Pradesh border.”
Even the ashes of more than 1,200 unclaimed bodies, which were cremated by an NGO in Karnal, Jan Sewa Dal, have piled up at local cremation grounds.
“We go to Haridwar for immersion twice a year. This time, we had decided to immerse the ashes on April 12, one day before Baisakhi. However, we will wait till the lockdown is lifted,” said Raj Kumar Arora, a member of the organisation.
Karnal deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Yadav said, “Nobody is allowed to cross the border. In fact, the ghats at Haridwar are also shut. People could keep the ashes with them and could immerse them later.”
On asking if any movement pass is being issued for the purpose, the DC said, “We have no problem in issuing passes for movement within the state. But, crossing the border is prohibited. It’s better for the families to wait.”
