Nine unclaimed bodies of Odisha train crash cremated at Bharatpur
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Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday organised a complex plan for the respectful and dignified funeral of the unnamed passengers who perished in the Bahanaga train disaster. Nine of the 28 unidentified bodies that were kept in a container at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, were cremated at Bharatpur Crematorium in accordance with customs up till the report was submitted.
According to sources, three bodies from AIIMS arrived at the location at around 5 p.m., and a senior BMC official oversaw the cremation process. A hearse was used to transport the bodies to the Crematory, the New Indian Express reported.
The bodies were cremated according to rules by a 12-person Pardeep Seva Trust team. After one Trust member performed "Mukhagni," or setting fire to the face of the deceased, the bodies were placed on the funeral pyre and left to burn. Eight chulhas allow for the simultaneous cremation of as many dead bodies at the Bharatpur crematorium. Unfortunately, because the remains were frozen, the process took longer than usual.
“Cremation of each body took at least four hours. Since the bodies were stored in minus temperature, the corpses had become ice slabs. Arrangements for the required quality of wood and ghee were made to ensure that the bodies are cremated with dignity,” said a BMC official.
The Trust members have kept leftover bone pieces for immersion in a river or sea. “We will hand them over to the officials. If they want to store it they can, else we will immerse them as per the customs we follow for other unclaimed bodies we cremate,” said a member.
Following the train tragedy on June 2, 162 passenger bodies were brought to AIIMS. After 81 of the bodies remained unidentified and some had numerous claimants, DNA samples were cross-matched. After more than a month passed with no one showing up to claim the remaining 28 bodies, the CBI investigating the railway crash had asked the Khurda district government to dispose of the unidentified bodies. BMC had consequently released a SOP for the disposal of the bodies