In yet another distressing incident highlighting the lack of basic funeral services in rural Odisha, the body of an 80-year-old woman was taken to the cremation ground on a bicycle after her family failed to arrange a hearse in Bargarh district’s Paikmal block.The deceased, Jayanti Bachha, a destitute resident of Kantapada village, died on Thursday morning. She had been living in extreme poverty with her mentally challenged daughter.
With no hearse vehicle available in the area and no money to hire private transport, her grandson, Shubham Bachha, assisted by relatives and villagers, tied her body to a bicycle and carried it to the cremation ground to perform the last rites.The heartbreaking incident has sparked outrage among local residents, who questioned why families in remote villages are still forced to resort to such undignified measures despite government welfare schemes intended to ensure dignified funeral services.
Following the incident, Paikmal Block Development Officer Praful Oddu visited the bereaved family and extended financial assistance under the Harishchandra Yojana. The family was also provided 50 kg of rice.The episode is the latest in a series of similar incidents reported from Odisha over the years, once again exposing gaps in the delivery of essential services to vulnerable communities.