While 71 bodies have been recovered from the Bihar area of Buxar, at least 25 bodies have been found in the neighboring Uttar Pradesh region of Ghazipur province.
At least 96 unidentified bodies - many of them rotten and swollen - were found floating in the Ganga over the past few days, sparking fears among residents of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that the bodies of Covid's victims had been dumped into the river. While 71 bodies have been exhumed from Bihar's Buxar district, at least 25 bodies have been found in the neighboring district of Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
While authorities in both regions could not confirm whether the bodies belonged to Covid victims, saying samples had been sent for autopsy, Buxar police said they suspected the bodies could have floated from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.
The federal government has taken the matter seriously, with union Minister Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday seeking an investigation into both provinces. “The bodies floating in the Ganga in Buxar, Bihar are unfortunate. It is indeed a matter of investigation. [Narendra] Modi's government is committed to maintaining the commitment and advancement of Mother Ganga. The countries [Bihar and UP] involved need to address this issue as soon as possible, "Twitter said.
Buxar SP Neeraj Kumar told Indian Express: “So far we have recovered 71 bodies in Ganga. We made a corpse after a corpse and took samples of DNA and Covid. "He said the bodies were dumped in accordance with Covid's government policy.
He said police had been conducting a search in the area to determine whether the bodies belonged to local residents. “Some of the bodies could have flown from UP. The Bihar and UP police are investigating, ”he said.
Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and order) Prashant Kumar told Indian Express: “The bodies have been found in Bihar, and it is the duty of the Bihar government to investigate and take further action. It is wrong to blame UP. ”
Buxar Regional Magistrate Aman Sameer said local authorities had been monitoring Ganga ghats to ensure that bodies were not allowed to be dumped in the river. Buxar has 1,172 active Covid cases to date. The district recorded the deaths of 26 people as of Monday.
The government of Uttar Pradesh has already passed an order for people to abandon Jal Samadhi - a tradition followed by some communities where corpses are dumped in a river. "This order is strictly enforced by the government," said ADG Kumar.
The bodies in Buxar were first recognized by villagers near the crematorium in Mahadeva along the Chousa River in Buxar on Monday. Then they warned the district authorities.
In Ghazipur, authorities said at least 25 unidentified bodies were found floating in the Ganga in the past two days. Varanasi (list) IG Suvendra K Bhagat said on Tuesday he could not give the correct number ”but at least 25 bodies were found. “We have received reviews. It has come to our notice that two bodies were found floating in the river, ”he said. Some communities follow Jal Samadhi or "Jal Pravah", meaning dumping corpses in the river, he said. Another was half-burnt corpses dumped in the river by cremators.
IG said all measures have been taken to curb the practice near Ganga. "We have increased vigilance in the valleys along the river to ensure that corpses are not dumped in the river," he said.
Regarding the possibility of the bodies floating from other regions, Bhagat said, “It is difficult to determine where the bodies came from. But they could come upstream. These bodies are very rotten. ”
In Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga flows through Kanpur, Hamirpur, Prayagraj, Chandauli, Varanasi, Ghazipur and then into the Buxar region of Buxar.
"The bodies are disposed of in accordance with Covid's policy," Bhagat said, although it was not immediately clear if they were Covid's victims.
Vanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal said the bodies were found at various locations in the Ghazipur district near Ganga. "There is no way of finding out if this death was caused by Covid. Not a single body could be identified, ”he said.
Circle Officer (Jamania) Hitendra Krishna said 23 bodies were found under the German circle in Ghazipur.
According to government data, 15 days ago, 59 people died in the Ghazipur region as a result of Covid, bringing the total to 178.
Ganga district panels have been told to address the dumping of corpses
Recognizing reports of dumping of bodies in the Ganga River and its tributaries, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on Tuesday called on all Regional District Committees to take "necessary steps" to address the matter and send "report action" within 14 days.
NMCG Director-General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra called on delegates to "immediately stop the dumping of corpses, partially burnt / unidentified bodies / bodies in the Ganga River and its tributaries". He also asked them to ensure that all unidentified bodies were "properly disposed of in accordance with Covid's safety rules".
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