40 dead bodies found floating along the banks of Ganga at Buxar, Bihar

Soaring cost of cremation is believed to be the prime reason why dead bodies are pushed into the river

The State administration was caught napping. It would indeed be quite serious, if these bodies belong to the deceased Covid-19 patients. It is the responsibility of the State administration to facilitate the cremation of bodies at a reasonable charge and to keep the prices of firewood in check. If it fails to fulfil its responsibilities, then strict action must be taken against those responsible.

Buxar (Bihar) – Many dead bodies were found to be floating along the banks of Ganga in UP and Bihar over the last few days. Instead of getting cremated, they are getting pushed into the river. Although this custom was practised in this region, the numbers are quite high this time round. More than 40 bodies came floating in at the Mahadeo ghat (on banks of Ganga) at Chausa village in Bihar. It is widely believed that these belong to the deceased Covid-19 patients. However, the Government stated that this suspicion cannot be confirmed without carrying out a post-mortem. The State Government has also claimed that the deceased did not belong to Bihar, and their bodies floated in from UP.

Bodies of 71 suspected #COVID19 victims, which were found floating in the #Ganga at Chausa in Buxar district of #Bihar on Monday, were retrieved and some of them were disposed of by the district administration by Tuesday morning. | @AmarnathTewary https://t.co/HG3qc1reGz

— The Hindu (@the_hindu) May 11, 2021

1. Narendra Kumar Maurya, a local resident, revealed that around 100-200 bodies are brought in for cremation at the ghat every day, however, unavailability of firewood makes the last rites almost impossible and subsequently these bodies get pushed into the river. The State administration has so far failed to prevent such incidents by providing any alternatives.
2. Things are no different at the banks of Ganga at Ghazipur district in UP. A few days ago, such bloated bodies were also found at the banks of Yamuna at Hamirpur and river Ganga in Kanpur districts in UP. Lack of adequate testing facilities for Covid-19 along with insufficient number of doctors in UP and Bihar for effective treatment, and this disease are believed to be the prime reasons for the increased death count in these States.