Unnao: After dead bodies of suspected Covid patients were seen floating on the Ganga river in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, multiple bodies have been found buried in sand at two locations along the Ganga river in Unnao district.
As with the earlier instance, there was no confirmation if these bodies were of Covid patients.
Unnao District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, "Some people do not burn the bodies but bury them in the sand by the river. After I got the information, I have sent officials to the spot. I have asked them to carry out an inquiry and we will take action".
The bodies draped in saffron cloth were reported to be found buried at the Rautapur Ganga Ghat in the Hajipur area.
A sense of panic has gripped the locals after it was found that bodies were being buried in the sand on the banks of the river.
Shirish Gupta, a local businessman, said: "Monsoon is barely a month away and once the Ganga river becomes flooded with water, these bodies will be washed ashore. The district administration should exhume the bodies and perform a proper cremation".
Officials were unsure about the suggestion pertaining to the sensitive matter. "It could create a law-and-order problem if we take out the bodies. We will see what best can be done," said a senior district official.
Reports suggest that ever since the death toll in the ongoing second wave of pandemic began to rise, the prices of performing cremation have also shot up.
"A package for cremation according to Hindu rites, is now between Rs 15,000 to 20,000. It is obvious that poor people cannot afford it and they are opting for riverside burials," said Gupta.
On Monday, scores of dead bodies had been washed up on the banks of Ganga in Ghazipur and Ballia districts. Bodies were also found in Buxar in Bihar. While according to the Hindu religion the Ganga is considered as the holiest of rivers, such an instance of bodies being found that way was really unheard of.
(With inputs from agencies)