Odisha train crash: Nine unclaimed bodies cremated at Bharatpur

Of the 28 unclaimed bodies stored in a container at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, nine were cremated at Bharatpur crematorium as per traditional rituals

Cremation of Bahanaga train tragedy victims underway at Bharatpur crematorium in Bhubaneswar, on Tuesday

BHUBANESWAR: They were unidentified and unclaimed. But, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday made an elaborate arrangement for cremation of the unidentified passengers killed in the Bahanaga train tragedy with respect and dignity. Of the 28 unclaimed bodies stored in a container at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, nine were cremated at Bharatpur crematorium as per traditional rituals till the report was filed.

Sources said the process for cremation began at about 5 pm after when three bodies arrived at the ground from AIIMS under the supervision of a senior BMC official. The bodies were carried to the crematorium in a hearse.

A 12-member team of Pardeep Seva Trust cremated the bodies as per rules. The bodies were placed on the funeral pyre and consigned to flames after one member of the Trust performed ‘Mukhagni’ (putting fire on the body’s face). The Bharatpur crematorium has eight chulhas and at a time as many bodies can be cremated. The process, however, got delayed as the bodies took more time than usual due to their frozen state.

“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 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.

AIIMS had received 162 bodies of passengers after the train tragedy on June 2. DNA samples were cross-matched after 81 of the bodies remained unidentified and some had multiple claimants. As no one turned up to claim the leftover 28 bodies for over a month, the CBI probing the train crash had requested Khurda district administration to dispose of the unidentified victims. Accordingly, BMC had issued an SOP for disposal of the bodies.