Japan: Ashes of thousands of wartime dead still unclaimed

The remains of thousands of civilians killed during World War II still remain unclaimed by relatives and languish in storage at temples and other sites across the country, an Asahi Shimbun survey shows.

The families of more than 7,400 people have yet to claim ashes stored in eight cities across Japan, even though the deceased have been identified based on name tags and other items attached to their clothing.

Many of the victims were killed in U.S. air raids. But in Okinawa, the victims were caught up in shelling and fighting.

In an effort to tally the unclaimed remains, The Asahi Shimbun contacted local governments, private-sector organizations, temples and other parties. The study covered Okinawa and 71 cities where 100 or more people are said to have died in connection with the war.

Although the central government has been diligently working to return the remains of Japanese soldiers killed in the war to their families, there had been no detailed research on the uncollected remains of civilians killed in U.S. air raids and other means.

According to the survey results, the ashes of 3,701 people stored in Tokyo have been identified but remain unclaimed by relatives. The figures for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were both leveled by atomic bombing in 1945, are 815 and 122, respectively.

Each of the three cities annually receives several inquiries and ashes have been returned in some cases. But in many instances, ashes that have been identified cannot be claimed because all family members perished in the war, according to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.

The ashes of more than 2,700 identified civilians remain unclaimed in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, Yokohama, Hamamatsu, Osaka and Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. Because the bodies of victims were cremated and buried together in those five cities, relatives are now unable to collect the remains.

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki city governments publicly disclose names of the identified victims. In the case of Hamamatsu and Sakai, bereaved families can view lists of remains that have been identified by contacting the temples and private groups storing them. Tokyo and Osaka do not publicly disclose the identities of remains.

The Asahi Shimbun also learned that unidentified remains of more than 300,000 people were buried together at temples and other facilities in Okinawa, Tokyo and 11 other cities.

More than 500,000 civilians are thought to have perished in Japan in World War II, mainly as a result of U.S. air raids.

One reason behind the large number of unclaimed remains is that it was difficult for Japanese officials during the war to identify victims and locate their families in the face of intensified aerial attacks by the United States.

According to records on damage to Tokyo during the war and other source material, the police were responsible for examining and identifying those killed in airstrikes.

But police were overwhelmed by the number of victims in the Great Tokyo Air Raid of March 10, 1945. Corpses were laid out on city streets for several days so people could find their families. The bodies were later transferred to nearby parks and elsewhere for tentative burial because it was thought that leaving them laid out on the ground for a prolonged period could undermine the people's fighting spirit.

Victims of the Great Tokyo Air Raid were exhumed and cremated after the end of the war so they could be enshrined at a Tokyo government-run memorial facility.

Although some of the victims of the air raid were identified, those remains could not be returned to relatives because the bereaved families did not know where or even if the ashes were being stored.

Interviews with bereaved families showed they could not afford to claim their relatives’ ashes as they were caught up on the task of rebuilding their own lives. In some cases, ashes were not returned because authorities mixed up names.

“The wartime authorities prioritized hiding corpses rather than identifying them so as not to lower citizens’ morale,” said Katsumoto Saotome, director of the Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage. “If the authorities had actively sought bereaved families of the remains immediately following the war, more ashes may have been returned to their relatives by now.”

Thursday 13 August 2015

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201508120070

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61 Bodies Found in a Crematorium in Guerrero, Near Ayotzinapa

A total of 61 bodies were discovered in an abandoned crematorium early Friday near the Mexican port of Acapulco, located in the violent state of Guerrero, about 180 miles east of Ayotzinapa.

Residents of the area alerted authorities when the bodies gave off a terrible smell around 9:30 Thursday evening. The army, national police and officials from the state’s Attorney General’s office arrived at the scene in Costa Chica, around 10 miles from the touristic hub of Acapulco, local journalist Darwin Garcia told teleSUR.

The human remains were taken in forensic service vehicles for DNA testing at around 1:30 a.m. Friday, he added.

Garcia, from local newspaper Novedades, said that the crematorium, abandoned for over a year, was suspected to have been used by an organized criminal group to destroy evidence of murdering its enemies. The owner is still unknown.

The remains were covered in chalk to prevent the stench and none of the bodies had been burned, Uriel Sanchez from Mexican national news media Quadratin, reported.

DNA testing will begin later today, although due to the state of putrefaction, authorities do not suspect a link with the 43 disappeared students from the nearby Ayotzinapa teachers training college, who were kidnapped by police in September.

According to EFE, work has already begun to identify how many men, women and children are among the bodies.

An official press conference will take place later today.

Friday 6 February 2015

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/61-Bodies-Found-in-a-Crematorium-in-Guerrero-Near-Ayotzinapa-20150206-0005.html

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'Go slow on last rites, bodies don't spread disease'

A group of senior scientists from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has warned the Uttarakhand government, under pressure to finish mass cremations at Kedarnath, against the consequences of burning piled up bodies without a thought to "psychological closure".

TISS's Dr Ravikant Singh, said it's "important" to first try and identify the bodies. "There are the clothes victims have on them. There would be cellphones they've used. Kin need to know if their loved ones have really died," Singh said. "Otherwise, they'll keep hoping that someday the door will open and people they have assumed to be missing — in the absence of concrete evidence of their death — will walk in. There needs to be psychological closure. Else, it might lead to lifelong trauma and hallucinations. What's happening at Kedarnath is wrong."

The doctors said governments often justify mass cremations after natural disasters in the name of diseases bodies spread. "But there are myths that need to be broken," Singh said. "Bodies don't cause epidemics. And have negligible health risks for the public as long as they don't touch or handle dead bodies. Smell is not a health risk in well-ventilated area."

In something that the ITBP hinted at when its DG Ajay Chadda told the Uttarakhand government that "burial of bodies is not in our charter of duties", the scientists said the urgent task is care for survivors. The doctors, who were here first on June 20 and readying a second batch of scientists to reach Uttarakhand, said rapid mass burial of victims is not justified on public health grounds.

Though this might be controversial, the scientists, who said no one was listening to them, have come armed with a presentation for the state that says burial is preferable to cremation. The burial site should be 1.5m deep, at least 200m from drinking water sources, with bodies side by side and not piled up, and with clearly marked spaces for each. "Seeing the body and being able to say goodbye allows an emotional closure," one doctor said.

The recommendations are in keeping with a Pan American Health Organization report of 2004 that has its director Mirta Roses Periago noting: "Regrettably, we continue to be witness to the use of common graves and mass cremations owing to the myths and beliefs that corpses pose a high risk for epidemics."

Friday 28 June 2013

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Go-slow-on-last-rites-bodies-dont-spread-disease/articleshow/20808832.cms

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Authorities cremate hundreds of flood victims in northern Indian state of Uttarakhand

Authorities in India on Thursday conducted mass cremations of hundreds of people who were killed by devastating floods and landslides that struck Uttarakhand nearly two weeks ago.

Army helicopters flew Hindu priests to the worst-hit town of Kedarnath in Uttarakhand to conduct funeral prayers before the cremations of nearly 300 bodies that were found buried in silt near the town’s main temple.

State government spokesman Amit Chandola said that authorities had airlifted tons of logs for the cremations, but that the funerals were delayed by intermittent rain. Eighteen bodies were cremated Wednesday before the rain, he said.

With the skies clearing up Thursday, the cremations resumed.

Before being cremated, each body was photographed and DNA samples were collected, Chandola said.

Kedarnath, one of four temple towns in Uttarakhand, is part of a popular Hindu pilgrimage route. Most devout Hindus make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives, and hundreds of thousands of people visit the temples during the summer before the onset of the monsoon season. This year, however, they were caught in early rains in mid-June that led to torrential floods and landslides in the Himalayan region.

India steps up grim search for bodies in flood zone

Rescue workers stepped up the search for bodies Thursday in India’s flood-ravaged north and mass cremations took place as fears grew over outbreaks of disease, officials and reports said.

More than 100,000 mainly pilgrims and tourists have been evacuated from the disaster zone while some 4,000 remain in relief camps after the flash floods and landslides that hit the state of Uttarakhand on June 15.

Rivers swollen by monsoon rains have swept away houses, buildings and entire villages in the Himalayan state, which was packed with tourists and pilgrims travelling to Hindu shrines.

Around 1,000 people have died, the state government has told AFP, although officials have warned the death toll could rise as more victims are found.

Persistent bad weather is hampering evacuations from the relief camps, officials said, and their focus is increasingly on recovering bodies to prevent the spread of disease.

“The remaining people will be evacuated as and when the weather clears,” a senior officer overseeing rescue operations told AFP.

“The bigger worry is finding the scores of dead bodies that may be still buried under debris,” said the officer, who did not want to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Health officials have warned locals against drinking river water on concerns of contamination from rotting bodies.

Six bodies were found floating in the Ganges in Allahabad on Wednesday, some 650 kilometres (404 miles) downstream from Kedarnath, according to reports, highlighting the difficulty of locating all those who perished.

Rescue workers are clearing away large amounts of debris and scouring remote areas for victims. More than 1,000 bridges have been damaged along with roads, cutting off villages and towns.

A team of police, doctors and firemen has been deployed to the worst-hit Hindu temple area of Kedarnath Valley to recover bodies there, the officer said from the state capital Dehradun.

All survivors in that area have already been picked up. “They are carrying saws, plate-cutters and also saline water which is needed to preserve body parts,” the officer said.

The team includes mountaineers to retrieve bodies found in the jungle, valleys and gorges, and help carry them out on foot, as well as photographers who will send pictures to the police to speed up the identification process.

DNA samples from the bodies are being taken before cremation and are being preserved by the authorities, officials said.

The search for bodies and the cremations came as villagers accused authorities of ignoring the needs of local residents and instead focusing rescue and relief efforts on visiting pilgrims and tourists. “There were 67 houses in our Chandrapuri village out of which 63 were washed away by the Mandikini river,” Birendra Singh, a former army officer, told AFP at a relief camp in Dehradun.

Friday 28 June 2013

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013%5C06%5C28%5Cstory_28-6-2013_pg14_4

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India floods: Bad weather delays rescue and mass cremations

Bad weather has halted rescue operations in flood-hit northern India and forced authorities to delay mass funerals for those killed.

Air force officials said they were unable to fly helicopters to the temple town of Badrinath to bring down the 5,000 pilgrims still stuck there.

And police say the planned mass cremations in Kedarnath town have been postponed following heavy rains.

The floods have killed more than 600 people in Uttarakhand state.

State Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said at the weekend that he feared at least 1,000 people had died. Officials say 97,000 people have been rescued so far.

Early monsoon rains in India this year are believed to be the heaviest in 80 years.

'Decomposing bodies'

On Tuesday morning, rescue operations were delayed due to rain, but once the weather improved air force helicopters began preparing for sorties to Badrinath - the last of the areas where thousands of pilgrims are still stranded in the mountains.

But later in the day, air force officials told the BBC that heavy rains in Badrinath had prevented helicopters from landing, forcing them to abandon rescue operations.

Air force officials say they need to get to the affected areas urgently as time is running out for survivors.

"I just need two to three days of good weather and I can get everyone out," Air Commodore Rajesh Issar, who heads Operation Rahat (Relief), said.

Meanwhile, senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal, who is in-charge of the mass cremations in Kedarnath, told the BBC that it had been raining heavily since the morning and the cremations were unlikely to happen on Tuesday.

Police say lots of bodies are piled up around the temple in Kedarnath and many of them have begun decomposing, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder reports from Dehradun.

Many of them remain unidentified so they are being photographed and DNA samples are being taken and preserved for the families of those still missing, our correspondent adds.

On Sunday, officials said the severely damaged Kedarnath town had been cleared of survivors and teams were searching for the bodies of victims.

Tourists and pilgrims were among those caught up in the floods, which washed away homes, roads and bridges.

So extensive is the damage that even a week after the devastating floods and landslides, there is still no clarity on the true number of people missing or dead.

Thousands of army, paramilitary and disaster management officials have been working for the past week to help those trapped in remote villages and settlements, but rescue operations have been hampered by rain and poor weather.

On average, the air force has been operating 115 flights a day and Air Commodore Issar has described it as "the single biggest rescue operation involving helicopters anywhere in the world".

On Monday morning, helicopters carrying special forces to find survivors were forced to turn back because of bad weather.

Meanwhile, hundreds of relatives continue to camp in Dehradun, looking for missing family members and friends.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the situation as "distressing" and announced a 10bn rupee ($170m; £127m) aid package for Uttarakhand.

The rainy season generally lasts from June to September, bringing rain which is critical to farming.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23042438

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Uttarakhand: As epidemic threat looms, seers clear mass funeral at Kedarnath

With most stranded pilgrims and locals having been evacuated from the Kedarnath-Gaurikund axis, the next big challenge confronting the authorities is the disposal of hundreds of corpses that are littered in and around the holy shrine. Unless that's the done, it would be difficult to ward off the outbreak of deadly diseases in the already ravaged hills.

As an emergency measure, Union home minister had consultations with top holy men, including Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand. The question to them was: would a mass cremation pollute the temple? The seers are learnt to have said it would not if the cremation was done in accordance with the proper rituals and in a wooden pyre.

Accordingly, 150 quintals of wood, sourced from local depots, was transported to Gauchar. The consignment reached there at 3pm on Monday. From there the wood would be moved to Kedarnath by helicopter. Given the amount of wood that's required, it would take a very large number of sorties.

However, nothing could be done on Monday as the weather turned inclement and driving rain prevented choppers from flying. "We hope to complete the mass cremation by Tuesday," said DIG Sanjay Gunjyal, who has tasked with the job of cremating unidentified and unclaimed bodies.

The bottomline is that another day has been lost. The corpses have been lying for days, some since June 16 (eight days ago), out in the sun and rain, and in an advanced stage of decay and decomposition.

Before the cremation, the authorities would be taking video and still pictures of the bodies as well as their DNA samples. This is for their identification which would help the bereaved families to bring closure to the tragedy.

With the state government finally getting some kind of control over the situation, it said that there was no threat of hunger or shelter for the stranded pilgrims in Joshimath and Badrinath, or in Gangotri and Yamunotri. And finally, there was some attention being given to the locals who have suffered the most as their homes and livelihood have been wrecked by the floods.

On Monday, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna gave a cold shoulder to the offer of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi to rebuild the Kedarnath shrine with the help of "best technology". Bahuguna told TOI: "Let me say very emphatically, that the entire premises of the temple will be built by the state government. Whosoever wants to do charity and donate to the temple is welcome but it is our responsibility and duty and we would not share that. There is no compromise on Kedarnath."

The humans dimension of the tragedy hasn't diminished even after eight days. With thousands still missing, there are hundreds of desperate relatives here asking one and all if they've seen their loved ones. At Jolly Grant airport, an entire wall is plastered with photographs of the missing.

Coming back to the mass cremation, it is easier said than done as bodies have to be extricated first, as the focus so far been on rescuing the living. Experts say this process will take at least a week if not longer. Bodies are at places buried in rubble 10 feet deep. At Rambara bodies may not be possible to extricate as many of them lie buried under 30 feet of mud.

The Centre and the Uttarakhand government, apart from finalising the standard operating procedures for identification and cremation of the bodies, are working on a centralized missing persons database. According to sources, photographs are likely to be uploaded on the official website of the state governments depending on where they are found.

Even though the weather forecast indicates heavy rain until June 28, the agencies are hopeful that even a limited window will help rescue the remaining people. While 100-150 persons remain to be evacuated from Kedarnath-Gourikund, those stranded at Badrinath do not face a life-threatening situation as they have adequate food and shelter. Union home secretary R K Singh said a day more was needed to rescue all from Harsil.

Meanwhile, the nodal officer appointed by the Centre for coordination between various agencies engaged in disaster relief, V K Duggal, met their senior representatives here on Monday to sort out "operational issues" and "communication gaps". At the meeting, the IMD chief briefed the agencies of the weather forecast for the next two weeks.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Uttarakhand-As-epidemic-threat-looms-seers-clear-mass-funeral-at-Kedarnath/articleshow/20751388.cms?

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Uttarakhand begins grim task of mass cremation of the dead, minor landslides delay rescue

As expected, air rescue operations have been stuck in parts of Uttarakhand following bad weather with two minor landslides taking place today between Rudraprayag and Guptakashi road causing immense problems for rescue workers.

Further landslides and flooding in the districts can be a real threat, said army officials adding that ground operations are however in process. Reports claim that two minor landslides have occurred today between Rudraprayag and Guptakashi road and another one was reported from the Rishikesh- Uttarkashi route, said the officials. Rescue workers are battling to carry out the remaining operation as bulldozers have been put into service to clear the route.

Army says it could possibly evacuate another 4,500 people from Badrinath including pilgrims, locals and temple employees. The army is waiting for the weather to improve and once it improves will speed up the air operations, said Ajay Chadha,DG,ITBP.

Military helicopters have been grounded because of bad weather, suspending the evacuation by air of those still stranded, many without food and water, in remote areas of the state, known as the "Land of the Gods" for its revered Hindu shrines. "We can only use the helicopters when the weather is clear. Rescue work can only resume when rains stop," said a senior army official in New Delhi.

Helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to help with the rescue efforts, with thousands of people already evacuated since the rains hit on June 15. Soldiers along with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have been using harnesses and erecting rope bridges across flooded rivers as part of efforts to move people to safety. Raging rivers have swept away houses, buildings and even entire villages in the state, which was packed with travellers in what is a peak tourist season. More than 1,000 bridges have been damaged along with roads, cutting off hard-hit villages and towns.

Around 120 bodies were recovered from the Kedarnath temple area on Sunday and more were feared to be lying in a nearby jungle where tourists took refuge after hotels and other buildings collapsed in the deluge, officials have said. In the adjacent state of Himachal Pradesh, 20 people have also been killed. Floods and landslides from monsoon rains have also struck neighbouring Nepal, leaving at least 39 people dead, according to the government in Kathmandu.

The monsoon, which covers the subcontinent from June to September, usually brings some flooding. But the heavy rains arrived early this year, catching many by surprise and exposing a lack of preparedness.

Director of meteorological department Anand Sharma was quoted saying medium range of 30-40 mm of rains is expected in Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag areas. As soon as the sky clears up, rescue choppers will start carrying out rescue operations, said Mr Sharma.

Up to 1,000 people are feared dead and more than 8,000 mainly pilgrims and tourists are still awaiting rescue nine days after flash floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains hit the state of Uttarakhand.

The temple town of Kedarnath is likely to witness the cremation of bodies that lay in and around the temple. Officials declared further delay in the funeral of the bodies might lead to their decomposing. Authorities confirmed that before performing last rites, DNA samples would be taken and bodies would be photographed.

We want to start the funerals today in Kedarnath provided the weather permits amid concerns of an outbreak of disease from rotting bodies, officials said. The priests of temples have been requested to participate in the final rites," Pandey said. All concerned authorities have been asked to make arrangements," a senior state government official told PTI.

50 tonnes of wood and a large quantity of desi ghee have been arranged to conduct the heart-rending last rites, said officials of the Garhwal administration adding that ‘Van Nigam’(Forest Corporation) and other agencies have been informed to collect as much fire wood and logs and arrange cans of ghee from the open market.

As soon as the weather clears, funeral will take place today and all concerned authorities have been informed to make arrangements, said a senior official from the state government.

Monday 24 June 2013

http://truthdive.com/2013/06/24/minor-landslides-in-uttarakhand-again-thousands-to-be-cremated-today.html

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Uttarakhand/Uttarakhand-begins-grim-task-of-mass-cremation-of-the-dead/Article1-1081364.aspx

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India: Unclaimed bodies pile up at OGH mortuary

Delays in shifting unclaimed bodies from the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) mortuary have been cause for discomfort not only for hospital staff but also patients and attendants visiting the hospital.

As the bodies lie unclaimed, the stench from the morgue begins to spread, and at times reaches the nearby blocks of the hospital. Visitors and patients apart, even hospital staff can be seen holding their noses to escape the stench.

On Friday, more than 30 unclaimed bodies piled up at the morgue, awaiting clearance from authorities.

The morgue has a single room with freezer facilities, which can accommodate only 32 bodies at a time. Bodies are preserved here pending identification, while the old ones are shifted to an adjacent room that is devoid of proper facilities.

Of the 10 to 15 bodies that come in daily, of which three to four are of unknown persons. While identified bodies are handed over to the relatives after the autopsy, unclaimed ones are kept at the mortuary until the GHMC facilitates a cremation.

Mortuary authorities intimate the Afzalgunj police station of unclaimed bodies and after receiving a go-ahead from the police, they write to the GHMC, who then shift the bodies for cremation or assign the job to an NGO.

Mortuary officials say the list of bodies is handed over to the GHMC at regular intervals but there are delays in clearing the bodies. As a result, they pile up at the mortuary, leading to unhygienic conditions.

In mid-May, authorities lifted about 120 bodies in one go and in the month of March, 63 bodies were moved out at once. The prescribed period for preserving unclaimed bodies is about 72 hours but in the last few months, bodies were around lying for more than two months, the staff said.

Most bodies come to the mortuary are already in a bad state and after lying here for days at a stretch, one can imagine the conditions, they added.

When contacted Y. Venkata Ramana, GHMC Circle IV, Assistant Medical and Health Officer, said he was not aware of any delays. “I will look into the matter,” he said.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/unclaimed-bodies-pile-up-at-ogh-mortuary/article4782217.ece

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India: betting on the dead is a tradition

Bizarre though it may sound, people are making a quick buck by betting on the dead.

Betting and fixing, apparently, is not restricted to cricket alone and in Varanasi’s famous Manikarnika Ghat, the bookies make fast money by betting on the dead.

The Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi is considered the most pious cremation ground for Hindus and it is believed that the fire in the pyre never dies down here.

Bookies have turned something as solemn as cremation of bodies into big business.

According to an insider, heavy bets are placed on the gender of the body being brought for cremation — whether it is male or female — then on the direction from which the body is being brought in, the type of vehicle the body is being brought in and even the quality of wood that will be purchased by the relatives to burn the body.

The bookies, mostly the local people, come to the Manikarnika Ghat before sunrise and betting begins from around 4 am.

“Each bet is around `1000 and at the end of the day, each one of us makes around `4,000 to `6,000. Those who lay bets on the gender of the body, direction from which it is being brought in, kind of wood and even the time taken for the body to get fully consumed by fire obviously end up winning or losing more than `10,000 per day,” says Rajan, a bookie.

He explains that they can easily decide the financial status of the deceased from the kind of people accompanying his body. “We can tell if the relatives will buy sandalwood and desi ghee for the cremation or use ordinary ingredients.

The kind of vehicle is another tell-tale sign. A person from an affluent family will be brought in an ambulance or hearse car while the poor will bring in the body in a tempo or a jeep. We place our bets after studying these factors,’ he says.

Betting at Manikarnika Ghat is done through cell phones, without uttering a word. The dozen odd bookies sit around the ghats without interacting with each other and send signals when they sight a dead body.

“Even the local people like shopkeepers and priests do not know that we indulge in betting. They think we are simply loitering around doing nothing. If our ‘business’ is disclosed, we may have to leave because of the religious sentiments involved in this,” says Rajan.

Sources at the ghat say that the local police are fully aware of the bookie business and even take a “cut” regularly.

Monday 27 May 2013

http://www.asianage.com/india/betting-dead-tradition-here-899

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Lighter of pyres

No DVI but an encouraging insight into burial customs (note blogger):

There is nothing extraordinary about the way she looks. Yet Shanti Behera, 52, a resident of Sambalpur, is unique. For the last decade she has been running the local crematorium. According to traditional Hindu customs, women are not even allowed to go the crematorium, leave aside participating in the funeral rites. But compelled to provide two square meals for her family after the demise of her husband, Shanti willingly took on the job of being the full-time keeper at the Kamlibatar Rajghat crematorium.

Married at 15 years, she had just turned 40 when she lost her husband to multiple illnesses. “I had no work and six children, including four daughters, to support. I was thinking of seeking work as a domestic worker but destiny, I guess, had something else in store for me. My husband was the caretaker of this cremation ground. He worked there on a daily wage basis and so when he fell severely ill and was bed ridden, I had to take over his duties or else he wouldn't have got any money,” Shanti recalls.

“As this is the only crematorium in the area, thousands of households were dependent on it. My husband was the only keeper there and his absence would have posed a huge problem,” she adds.

Her journey from being a housewife to becoming the manager of a crematorium was a difficult one. There were several personal as well as social hurdles. Initially, she found it very difficult to look at the bodies being brought for cremation. She also faced opposition from her relatives and friends because she was daring to go against tradition. But Shanti grew stronger as time passed.

“My husband was cremated at the same ground where he worked. I had to take over just after a few days after his death. It was very painful for me but I went ahead. Then, a few months later, my son died in a road accident. I don’t know how I set the pyre for his funeral. It was a heart breaking moment for me. But ever since, I have learnt to face pain and hardship. I sincerely took to doing the job on a full-time basis, despite being aware that customs dictate that women are strictly prohibited from working at a cremation ground.”

Her job is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Arranging the wood for the pyre, setting it alight, and ensuring that it burns properly — she is always on her toes, come rain or shine, performing her job to the best of her ability. Often she has to work until the wee hours to ensure that everything is done right.

“I work round the clock, and am there whenever the need arises. In fact, I have had to come here at midnight braving terrible storms, too. Over the years, I have realised that this work is not only a means of livelihood but has a higher purpose. I believe I am helping the dead souls rest in peace and that gives me immense satisfaction. The only thing I find difficult is to see a family cremate a child. It reminds me of the worst experience of my life — cremating my own son,” she says.

For the first five years, Shanti worked for free because the municipal authorities did not believe that she would be able to manage the crematorium properly. During that period the family survived on tips, which was insufficient. Later, she started receiving a monthly payment of Rs. 1,500 from the municipality. Managing expenses for the whole month on this meagre salary, however, has only gotten tougher in recent years.

“I have to pay Rs. 600 as rent for the single room where we are staying. I don't even have a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card so that I can get subsidised rice. I have run from pillar to post to get a BPL card, but to no avail.”

While making ends meet is still a struggle for Shanti, she is glad that at least the community’s attitude towards her has changed. While the local people were once shocked by her bold move, today they respect and admire her courage.

Says local resident Padmabati Behera, “She is a great woman and everybody respects her. She is doing a job that no other woman had dared to do. I have seen her over the years and feel proud of her. She is working selflessly without any expectations.”

Families visiting the cremation ground also draw great comfort from her presence.

Many hope that Shanti’s example will inspire other women to opt for unusual professions. Says Abhida Nanda Mishra, an academic from Sambalpur, “For me, Shanti's work in the crematorium is not just a livelihood issue but, looked at from a broader prospective, is about women's empowerment and acceptance in society. It represents positive change.”

Tuesday 23 April 2013

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/lighter-of-pyres/article4644118.ece

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Cynicism underlies officials' lack of respect for dead

A landslide last month in southwestern China killed 46 villagers. Once the bodies were uncovered, the local authorities cremated them without getting prior agreement from family members.

This caused a storm of protest and criticism from relatives of the deceased, as well as from the public. Authorities in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan Province, sparked further outrage when they admitted that the cremations were prompted by a desire to maintain stability.

That one's family member dies in a disaster is devastating enough. The fact that the local government went ahead with such a decision and deprived the families the chance to send their loved ones off properly is salt in the wound. Such a method of "maintaining stability" can only make matters worse.

So why are local officials so thoughtless?

In fact, they had carefully calculated their own interests in making this decision. They must have been afraid of the families "using the dead to press the living," thinking they might react irrationally when they actually saw the horrible state of their excavated loved ones.

On the contrary, especially from a long term point of view, this kind of behavior hurts the feelings of the families of the deceased, threatens public order and undermines good morals. It makes the already poor credibility of the government even worse. Unfortunately, we see this kind of thing repeatedly in China.

Just as unfortunate, "using the dead to press the living" is often the last remedy the weak have to act against the strong.

Take a custom in my hometown in the central province of Hunan as an example. When a woman killed herself due to family disputes, her clan gathered to prevent her body from being buried in the hopes such a scene would ruin the husband's family.

This is, of course, illegal and not worth promoting. However, when one considers the historical background of the custom, one may understand and feel more sympathy.

For starters, in traditional Chinese society, women have a very low status. It's not rare that women suffer abuse from their mothers-in-law or violence from their husbands. The protection of a woman thus depends not on the law, but on the forces that her family can muster. It is very difficult to expect the law to uphold justice when a woman commits suicide because of domestic violence. This is why her family clan creates havoc as a way to punish the husband's family.

Respect the Dead

From the viewpoint of the modern rule of law, this kind of practice is primitive, a type of vigilante justice. But under specific historical circumstances, the approach does have a deterrent effect and to a certain extent curbs the ill-treatment of women.

So why is it that the practice of taking the dead to press the living still goes on? The most basic element of a civilized society is to respect the dead. Respecting the deceased is respecting the value of life.

A while ago, various local governments in Henan Province implemented by force a policy of flattening tombs. Like others, I believe this is because to those officials the skeletons are just meaningless waste. The fact that that waste has to give way to economic development has broken the bottom line of civilization.

Naturally, funerals and the handling of bodies can evolve in accordance with economic and social changes. For instance, cremation can take the place of burial. But the premise of respect for the deceased is not to be denied. This implies respecting the deceased's will and, in some cases, his or her religion.

All civilized societies respect the dead. If the rules made by the powers-that-be of the living world breach such rules of civility for mere utilitarian purposes, then it's doomed to face revolt.

Far too often, local authorities in China try to settle conflicts in the quickest possible way, fearing neither financial costs nor social taboos, for the sole purpose of maintaining stability. Such a cynical way of ruling must come to an end.

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://english.caixin.com/2013-02-08/100490853.html

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Why China's landslide victims were cremated by the State

A landslide last month in Zhenxiong County in southwestern China killed 46 villagers. Once the bodies were recovered, the local authority -- without any prior agreement from family members -- cremated them. This set off a storm of protest from relatives of the deceased, and widespread criticism from the public. Zhenxiong authorities sparked further outrage when they admitted that the cremations were prompted by a desire to maintain stability in this part of the province of Yunnan.

That one’s family member dies in a disaster is devastating enough. The fact that the local government went ahead with such a decision and deprived the families the chance to send their loved ones off properly is extra salt in the wound. Such a method of “maintaining stability” can only make matters worse.

So why are local officials so thoughtless?

In fact, they had carefully calculated their own interests in taking this decision. They must have been afraid of the families “taking the dead to press the living,” thinking they might react more irrationally when they actually saw the horrible state of their excavated loved ones.

On the contrary, especially from a long term point of view, this kind of behavior hurts the feelings of the families of the deceased, threatens public order and undermines good morals. It makes the already poor credibility of the government even worse.

But once again in China, we see officials who have to deal with a troubling event benefit more than being harmed. This explains why this kind of stability maintenance, drinking poison to quench a thirst, prevails so often. In short, that which is thought to benefit the official order not only jeopardizes social morals but also the credibility of the government itself.

“Taking the dead to press the living” is often the last remedy for the weak against the strong.

Take the custom of my hometown in Central Hunan as an example. When a woman had killed herself due to family disputes, her family clan gathered to prevent her body from being buried -- hoping such a scene could ruin the husband’s family.

This is of course an illegal practice, and not worth promoting. However, when one considers the historical background of the custom, one may understand and feel more sympathy. For starters, in traditional Chinese society, women have a very low status. It’s not rare that women suffer abuse from their mothers-in-law or violence from their husbands. The protection of a woman thus depends, not on the law, but on the forces that her own family can muster. It is very difficult to expect the law to uphold justice when a woman commits suicide because of domestic violence. This is why her family clan creates havoc as a way to punish the husband’s family.

Respect the dead

From the viewpoint of the modern rule of law, this kind of practice is primitive, a type of vigilante justice. But under specific historical circumstances, the approach does have a certain deterrent effect and to a certain extent curbs the ill-treatment of women.

So why is it that the practice of taking the dead to press the living still goes on? The most basic element for a civilized society is to respect the dead. Respecting the deceased is respecting the value of life. It’s hard to imagine how a society in which the dead are not given respect can be said to respect life.

A while ago, various local governments in Henan province implemented by force a policy of flattening tombs. Like others, I believe this is because to those officials the skeletons are just meaningless waste. The fact that that waste has to give way to economic development has broken the bottom line of civilization.

Naturally, funerals and the handling of dead bodies can evolve in accordance with economic and social changes. For instance, cremation can take the place of burial. But the premise of respect for the deceased is not to be denied. This implies respecting the deceased’s will and his or her religion.

All civilized societies respect the dead. If the rules made by the powers-that-be of the living world breach such rules of civility for mere utilitarian purposes then it’s doomed to face revolt.

Far too often, local authorities in China try to settle conflicts in the quickest possible way, fearing neither financial costs nor social taboos, for the sole purpose of maintaining stability. Such a cynical way of ruling must come to an end.

Monday 11 February 2013

http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/why-china-039-s-landslide-victims-were-cremated-by-the-state/traditions-corpse-civilization-cremation-zhenxiong/c3s10738/#.URj6n0H3TUI

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Chinese authorities apologize for rapid cremations

Authorities in southern China have offered a rare apology for failing to consult with relatives before rapidly cremating the remains of 46 victims of a landslide blamed by some on a local mining operation.

Officials had hoped to avoid spreading disease and spare relatives the trauma of viewing the mangled remains, state media reported Tuesday. They also said the morgue in the remote part of Yunnan province had no refrigerator, requiring that remains be dealt with swiftly.

"We did that because we were afraid that the bodies would start to decay, and some bodies have been damaged in the landslide and we thought the family members would be too distraught to see them," Hu Jianpu, deputy head of Zhenxiong county, where the disaster occurred, told state broadcaster CCTV.

The official Xinhua News Agency and CCTV reported that county officials issued their "sincere apologies" to the relatives.

Residents who usually bury their dead after elaborate funerals protested the rapid cremations, prompting the unusual apology.

Stability-obsessed local Chinese authorities sometimes seize the bodies of accident victims to prevent emotional scenes that could develop into protests against them, as well as to persuade relatives to quickly agree to compensation offers.

Calls to Zhenxiong county and Communist Party offices rang unanswered Tuesday, and a local spokesman did not answer calls to his cellphone.

The cause of Friday's landslide amid steep, snow-dusted mountains remains under investigation, with some villagers blaming a local mining operation.

Xinhua quoted some villagers as saying blasting and other mining work had opened up huge fissures in the mountain looming over the villages of Gaopo and Zhaojiagou, where 14 homes were smothered.

A preliminary investigation last week blamed saturation from more than 10 days of rain and snow for the disaster.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22375361/china-authorities-apologize-over-rapid-cremations

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Families protest unapproved cremation of landslide victims

About 40 family members of landslide victims in southwest China's Yunnan Province have protested after their loved ones' bodies were cremated without their approval.

The people gathered on the road to the landslide rescue and disaster relief headquarters in Zhenxiong County on Sunday night, blocking dozens of vehicles, Zhu Henghui, office director with the Zhenxiong County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said early on Monday.

The crowd did not disperse until 2 a.m. Monday, according to Zhu.

The landslide, which occurred in the Zhenxiong village of Gaopo on Friday, killed 46 villagers and injured another two.

Government authorities had cremated all the bodies by Sunday, triggering anger from the victims' family members. According to the tradition of the village, where dwellers are mostly of Yi ethnicity, bodies of the dead are usually buried instead of cremated.

Moreover, the family members, most of whom worked in cities and escaped the disaster, said they did not even have a chance to say goodbye to their deceased relatives because of the unapproved cremation.

"I had expected to have a final look at my child," said Zhao Mingcai, a migrant worker who rushed home from the provincial capital of Kunming on hearing the news.

Zhao lost nine of his family members in the landslide, including his child, his brother and sister-in-law.

Lei Chuying, deputy chief of Zhenxiong County, said cremation orders were given with consideration to epidemic prevention as well as the family members' emotions.

"Many parts or organs were missing when the bodies were dug out, and the scene may have left the families devastated," said Lei.

The landslide is believed to have been caused by heavy precipitation, as well as earthquakes that struck a neighboring county last year.

More than 500 villagers have been moved to makeshift tents near the village over fears that a secondary disaster triggered by the landslide could endanger their homes. Others have gone to stay with relatives and friends in other villages.

Makeshift houses will be built to replace the tents and provide shelter for disaster-affected residents, and plans to rebuild the village have been launched, according to Chen Xiangjin, vice secretary of the CPC Zhenxiong County Committee.

Chen added that a daily subsidy of 12.5 yuan (2 U.S. dollars) will be given to those affected by the landslide for the next three months.

Monday 14 January 2013

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/755664.shtml

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Nigeria’s Cremation Bill

The cremation law has been passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly against the wish of residents of the state reports.

Last Friday could be described as frustrating for staff, guests and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly because the sitting scheduled for 10 a.m did not start until about 4 p.m. Ordinarily, the House does not sit on Fridays, but a similar late commencement in sitting the previous day resulted in the lawmakers’ inability to exhaust the Order Paper, which outlines the issues to be deliberated upon. The leadership of the House adjourned till Friday.

However, in the midst of the anger and lamentation, one of the lawmakers and Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Suru Avoseh Hodewu, was very excited. His Cremation Bill, one he personally proposed to the House, would finally see the light of day. And it did.

Indications that the bill, which has now legalized the cremation of unclaimed corpses at any of the government mortuaries in the state as well as voluntary cremation of corpses by those who want it, would be passed became clear on Thursday when the House took the presentation of the report to establish the law.

As such, some media houses concluded that the law had been passed even though the lawmakers had not taken the third reading which would herald the Speaker’s gavel to bring the bill to life.

The bill came about after its sponsor told the House that most of the mortuaries in the state had become full and that through the oversight function of the Committee on Health, it had been discovered that majority of the corpses cannot be identified. Mr. Avoseh had told his colleagues that this had become a major challenge to those handling corpses in the state such that new corpses do not find spaces for preservation. He had also argued that with the location of the state, it had a major challenge in terms of enough space for the burial of corpses and thus believed that people could be encouraged to cremate corpses of the relatives as a possible solution to these challenges one of which is the decongestion of the mortuaries.

While confirming that cremation was strange and new in Nigeria, the lawmaker said with the introduction of cremation, health officials, who were faced with the problems of how to get land, and thus resorted to mass burials, would be relieved. Avoseh was supported by the likes of Mrs. Funmilayo Tejuosho, representing Mushin Constituency 1, and Mudashiru Obasa representing Agege Constituency 1 at the House, as according to them, the present condition of mortuaries in the state could cause epidemics if nothing was done urgently. While Tejuosho said that people should have an option to cremate their dead while unclaimed bodies should be cremated by the state after six months, Obasa said that the idea would reduce the incidence of the ritualists, who often invade cemeteries at night to mutilate corpses.

It was with such ease that the bill’s journey began. It was then broken into sections with Section 2 stipulating that no cremation may take place except in a crematorium established by the Ministry of Health or by any other body upon the recommendation of the authority and approval by the Commissioner for Health and Section 6 stipulating the guidelines to getting permission to cremate and listing those eligible for permission to cremate to include a child or children of the deceased; a close relative of the deceased; an undertaker and an agent/legal representative.

Also Section 8 of the law gives the Medical Directors of the state hospitals power to order cremation of unclaimed bodies in their respective mortuaries but that this must be with the consent and approval of the Commissioner for Health while Section 10 of the law states that the cremator in charge of a crematorium must not dispose of the ashes remaining after a cremation except in accordance with any reasonable written instructions of the applicant adding, however, that the cremator in charge may bury the ashes in a burial ground if, “within one year after the cremation, the applicant does not give reasonable written instructions for the disposal of the ashes.”

The lawmakers may not have anticipated the hitches suffered by the bill. It was several times rejected by residents of the state making critics think it may end up being like other laws that were only passed just to add up with the already existing ones in the gazette and without effective implementation.

Within the House, one lawmaker, Bayo Oshinowo, opposed the bill till it became law. Osinowo, representing Kosofe 1, who had, at the bill’s proposition, warned that the tradition, culture and religion of Nigerians had to be properly considered before embarking on the act, had also argued that the congestion at mortuaries was due to the negligence of morgue attendants.

Again, during the adoption of the report that would enable the bill pass through the third reading of the House, Oshinowo called on the state government to provide land for burial of corpses rather think of cremating them.

Stressing that many Nigerians are not in support of the bill, he stressed: “cremation is not part of our culture. If government cannot provide land to bury our dead, then it is a shame to humanity.”

Oshinowo’s position had been echoed by residents of the state in several fora. During the public hearing of the bill, officials of the state government and the lawmakers could not convince those in attendance as the latter stood their ground in opposition stressing that it was against religious and cultural practices in the state and country. They also accused berated the state government over the poor state of the mortuaries saying if the morgues were taken care of, there would be no problems with the 180 unclaimed corpses which the state said it was battling with. They also punctured the state government’s excuse of lack of space saying the space were being amassed for the construction of expensive estates by the same government. A resident, Abdulrasaq Olatunji, who spoke on behalf Muslim lawyers in the state, asked the government officials: “if it is true that lands in Lagos state have been exhausted, why can’t the state government liaise with other neighbouring states and ask them to give it land to be used for mass burial?”

Another Muslim leader, Abdulmojeed Addulkareem, explained that the proposed bill was against Islamic faith as according to him, “if we keep silent on the issue, and we say unclaimed corpses should be burnt, the spirit of Muslims among the corpses will be on our heads.

“This idea, apart from being against our religion is also against our culture. If you say there is a crematorium in Ogun state, we know that there is no such law in Ogun state. So we are not in support of this particular bill.”

Few days later, the Catholic Church and the Oshodi, Lagos branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria, also expressed their rejection of the bill and asked the lawmakers to throw it out.

In a statement by the Very Rev. Gabriel Osu, Archdiocesan Director of Social Communications, on behalf of the Administrator of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, the Catholic Church said: “the issue of cremation is a very sensitive one because it bothers on our culture, tradition and religion. As Africans, it is against our culture and as Christians it is against our religious beliefs. In the Koran, the respect of the dead is very clear.

“They do not allow the corpse to stay long, not to talk of cremation. We believe after life and the need to give the dead proper burial as prescribed in the Bible. “I do not see any one who would want his corpse or that of loved ones cremated.

Already you can see the response of Lagosians during the public hearing. Most of those who spoke are vehemently opposed to it. It is not acceptable at all. My advice is for the lawmakers to quickly jettison the idea and look for better ways of dealing with unclaimed corpses,”

Urging the government to build more modern and affordable cemeteries in various parts of the state as well as rehabilitate the old ones, the statement added: “it is only in Africa that we have no respect for the dead. Go to Atan and Ikoyi cemeteries, for instance, they have been over-taken by weeds. Security is another issue entirely. The dead deserves to rest in peace.”

On his part, the head of CAN in Oshodi, Pastor Barnabas Otoibhi, in a statement, described it as a culture of shock to see loved ones being burned in the name of cremation.

Otoibhi, who is also the General Overseer, Temple Rebuilder Mission, said apart from the fact that the bill came to Nigerians as a rude shock, “if the bill is passed into law, it will impact negatively on our socio-cultural values. Cremation is incompatible with the cultures of the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. One of our socio-cultural values is paying the last respect to the dead. Cremation or burning the body of the dead certainly does not amount to paying the last respect to the dead.

“The government has a constitutional responsibility to preserve and promote the cultural values of the nation. But if this bill on Cremation is passed into law, the government will unwittingly be creating an avenue to erode one of our much cherished socio-cultural values.”

Many residents of the state also expressed reservations concerning the bill to the extent that the Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikufoiji, while speaking at a Ramadan lecture gave the impression that the bill would not be passed against the wish of the people.

“Let me assure our Muslim and Christian brothers and sisters that the assembly will not go against your wish concerning the cremation bill. If you say you do not want the bill, we will not pass it. We will not do anything to jeopardise your interests. He however added: “I am a Muslim, I cannot allow my corpse to be burnt but we should allow those who want their dead bodies to be burnt have their way,” he added.

Now that the House has passed it in the face of this heavy rejection, it is left to be seen how it would be effectively implemented by the state without attracting the ire of the already irritated residents.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2013/01/02/nigerias-cremation-bills-tortuous-journey/

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Thousands attend a frugal mass cremation in Buleleng

Thousands of residents of the Sangsit Dauh Yeh customary village in Buleleng joined a mass cremation on Friday.

The ritual, known as a sawa karsian, is held once every five years and gives poorer residents an affordable way to cremate their deceased relatives.

Cremation is an expensive affair in Bali. Households typically spend up to Rp 50 million (US$5,200) to organize a simple ngaben cremation ritual for the deceased.

However, to participate in the sawa karsian ritual on Friday cost a family only Rp 1 million, paid to the customary village that organized the event.

The village leaders pooled the money received to finance the cremation of 682 deceased individuals from 73 dadya, or groupings of dozens of related families.

Unlike the more common ngaben ritual that calls for the cremation of the deceased on a pyre, a sawa karsian does not involve any bodies.

Instead, each family builds effigies of the deceased using precious wood, such as sandalwood, majegau, and golden flowers. The name of the ritual comes from the Balinese words used for effigy: sawa karsian.

Since early Friday morning, thousands of local residents, all dressed in traditional clothes, were seen flocking to the village’s soccer field, where the most of the preparatory rituals had taken place. In previous days, local residents participated in a massive street procession to fetch holy water for the cremation.

After hours of preparation, the people were ready to march to two cemeteries, the setra kaja and the setra kelod, carrying with them sawa karsian and other ritual paraphernalia. Walking under the sun with little shelter, the men and women formed a slow-moving procession that backed up traffic along the island’s main northern road.

After reaching the cemeteries, Balinese Hindu high priests led the faithful through a complex series of rituals that climaxed with the torching of the sawa karsian.

Each effigy was placed inside an earthenware bowl before being set afire with material that was previously sanctified by a sacred mantra.

The next step of the ritual takes place at dawn on Saturday, when the devoted will release the ashes of their sawa karsian into the sea.

Finally, in the last step, known as meajar-ajar, the families will conduct a two-day long pilgrimage to all the major temples of the island to announce to the gods that the mass cremation was successful.

For village elder Wayan Wisara, one of the true achievement of the ceremony was increasing the awareness of local residents of the vanity of using religious rituals as a pretext to flaunt their economic and social status.

“I am very happy that the people of Sangsih Dauh Yeh could organize a ritual in such a simple and modest way, and with a deep understanding of the essence of the ritual,” Wisara said.

He said that organizing a lavish and expensive ritual for the sake of displaying one’s economic power of the community is one of the main problems facing Balinese Hindus.

“In this mass cremation, we cut out several costly things that we sincerely believe have nothing to do with the essence of the ritual,” he said.

Among the things were new uniform shirts and kebaya for participants and a collective feast.

“We didn’t take out anything related to the offerings and ritual paraphernalia. In a sense, we have returned the ritual to its core,” Wisara said.

Saturday 10 November 2012

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/11/10/thousands-attend-a-frugal-mass-cremation-buleleng.html

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NGO disposes of 55 unclaimed bodies

RANCHI: As many as 55 bodies which were lying unclaimed at the mortuary of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) here were finally cremated on the bank of Jumar river on Sunday. The forest department provided wood for the cremation of the bodies. A local NGO which came to know about the unclaimed bodies at the RIMS morgue cremated these according to Hindu rituals on river bank.

RIMS director Tulsi Mahto said it was not the responsibility of the hospital to dispose of unclaimed bodies.

"There no time limit prescribed in law for disposal of the bodies which lays unclaimed for long. When it's a dead body where nobody comes forward to claim it then it becomes a state property. Hence it's the states responsibility to dispose of such bodies. Today the 55 unclaimed bodies were disposed of with help on an NGO," Mahto said.

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) health officer said, "The problem was from the forest department who were not providing wood for the cremation. Now when they provided the wood the bodies were finally cremated." The forest department provided 155 quintals of wood for the purpose, while the RMC provided labour for cleaning and vehicles to carry the bodies to the cremation site.

"The bodies were in such bad shape that it was difficult to distinguish their sex. Most of them were in a decomposed state and were totally disfigured," Murda Kalyan Committee president Tubul Charkrabarty.

Thursday 18 October 2012

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/NGO-disposes-of-55-unclaimed-bodies/articleshow/16816379.cms

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Souls of 40 unclaimed bodies to find peace

On Sarvapitri Amavasya on October 15, when many families pay homage to their loved ones, Pune-based Rashtriya Kala Akademi will immerse the ashes of nearly 40 unclaimed bodies in the river to give final peace to their souls.

The group has organised a special puja at Sangam Ghat on Sarvapitri Amavasya following which the ashes of the unclaimed bodies will be immersed in the river.

The group has kept the ashes in special lockers in Kailas crematorium behind SSPMS College on Raja Bahadur Mill Road. This year, the group has performed last rites of 405 unclaimed bodies.

Mandar Ranjekar, secretary of Rashtriya Kala Akademi told DNA, “In Hindu religion, many families perform pujas on Sarvapitri Amavasya in the memory of their loved ones. However, these unclaimed bodies do not have any family. Usually, the authorities cremate unclaimed bodies and dispose of the ashes. So, we thought that we will perform the last rites of these unclaimed bodies and immerse their ashes in the river to give their souls final peace.”

“We have performed the last rites of nearly 40 bodies in October and the ashes have been kept in the locker room of Kailas crematorium. On Monday, we have invited some well-known people at Sangam Ghat to immerse the ashes in water. On the same day, we will also felicitate civic workers who have contributed a lot in performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies,” Ranjekar said.

This initiative was started last year and the group had rented 36 lockers at Kailas crematorium to keep the ashes. Most of these unclaimed bodies do not have a name or identification, so we keep a record of the bodies by registering their post-mortem numbers, he said.

“Rashtriya Kala Akademi works in the field of art and culture and we feel that performing the last rites of the deceased, even if they are unclaimed, is a part of our culture. So, we have decided to undertake this initiative. We hope that our work will raise mass awareness and that such initiatives will be undertaken in other crematoriums as well,” Ranjekar said.

Monday 15 October 2012

http://www.dnaindia.com/mobile/report.php?n=1752358

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Widow sues funeral home, crematorium after receiving stranger's ashes

SALT LAKE CITY — Marilynn Flynn opened the urn containing her husband's ashes for the first time while preparing for a memorial service marking one year since his death. Flynn intended to spread some of his remains in the Sacramento Mountains near her home in Alamogordo, N.M. But what she says she saw inside the urn stunned her: a dental bridge fragment, a dental crown and three porcelain fragments — none of which belonged to her husband. "She feels devastated. She feels she let her husband down because she didn't secure his remains," said John Wheeler, an Alamogordo attorney representing Flynn in a federal lawsuit. The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City alleges McDougal Funeral Homes and Independent Professional Services were negligent in handling the remains of Michael Wayne Flynn. It contends the ashes given to Marilynn Flynn could not have been those of her husband. Mike Flynn, 59, and two other men died April 25, 2009, when the airplane he was co-piloting crashed in the Oquirrh Mountains in Tooele County. The men were traveling from Missoula, Mont., to southern New Mexico to fight a wildfire. Marilynn Flynn positively identified her husband's remains shortly before they were cremated, Wheeler said. After discovering the dental fragments, she questioned whether the remains were her husband's. "Mr. Flynn never had that type of dental work done," Wheeler said. Marilynn Flynn took the fragments to a forensic dentist who determined they did not come from her husband. She also consulted with the widow of the pilot and found he had not had that kind of dental work done either, he said. Flynn intended to combine and inter her husband's ashes with her own after she dies. The purpose of the lawsuit is to locate Mike Flynn's remains and to find out "where the system broke down" so it doesn't happen again, Wheeler said. The crematory at Independent Professional Services is cleaned with a fine-bristle brush before each body goes in, and workers go over the remains with magnets to remove any metals before placing them into a heavy plastic bag, says owner Gerald Newlon. McDougal Funeral Homes, 4330 S. Redwood Road, took custody of the body from the state medical examiner's office and arranged with nearby Independent Professional Services for the cremation. Gerald Newlon, owner of Independent Professional Services, said Mike Flynn's body arrived in a "disaster pouch," which he said is typical of crash victims. An identification tag is attached, he said. Bodies are cremated one at a time. "We don't really know what we get in the disaster pouches," Newlon said. "In a case like this, everything we get goes into the crematory." The crematory is cleaned with a fine-bristle brush before each body goes in, he said. Workers go over the remains with magnets to remove any metals before placing them into a heavy plastic bag. Newlon said his company's patron contract advises them of the possibility of foreign objects. A woman who answered the phone at McDougal on Tuesday declined to comment. 25 April 2012 http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=20135237

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Compensation at last for Punjab killings

The National Human Rights Commission, which went through 2,097 cases of killing of youth and mass cremation of their bodies by the Punjab Police during the peak of militancy in the State, has ordered a relief of Rs.27.94 crore to the families of 1,513 victims of such extra-judicial killings. The remaining bodies were not identified.

When terrorism was at its peak in the State during 1984-96, Punjab Police personnel, whether officers or constables, were a law unto themselves and many of them were involved in merciless killing of youth by branding them as terrorists for rewards and promotions. The bodies were silently cremated with no questions asked.

The Commission took up the cases after the Supreme Court referred the matter to it on December 12, 1996. The Court said any compensation awarded by the Commission shall be binding and payable.

The cases related to mass cremations in Amritsar, Majitha and Tarn Taran districts alone between 1984 and 1994. These include 195 cases where the victims were in deemed police custody and 1,318 others whose bodies were cremated by the police. A total of 532 bodies remained unidentified despite efforts by the Commission from the date of remittance in December 1996.

The Commission held that for violation of human rights of a total of 194 victims admittedly in police custody immediately prior to their death and their cremation, their kin were entitled to monetary compensation of Rs.2.5 lakh each. For the remaining cases, the families were paid Rs.1.75 lakh each.

Excessive powers

Human rights activists world over had alleged that the inhuman killings were the result of excessive powers given to the police by the government. Many civil rights lawyers and activists paid with their lives for treading the path of political justice. While the official figures put the total number of people killed in Punjab during 1984-1996 at 15,000, according to various investigating agencies and human rights groups more than 25,000 people were killed by the Punjab Police. They include persons “missing” from their homes, killed in “encounters”, cremated as “unidentified” and “escaped from police custody”.

According to civil rights groups, boys were picked up from their homes or fields and taken blindfolded to isolated places and told to run. A burst of AK-47 rifle-fire ended their lives. Such was the terror that no one dared ask why not even a single member of the police force was hit in cross-fire. Many members of the police force in Punjab got out-of-turn promotions, gallantry awards and monetary rewards for killing “militants”.

Tuesday, 3 April 2012

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/article3279093.ece

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