LUCKNOW: In a noble gesture, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the apex decision-making body of the country's 13 'akharas' (monastic order), has decided to bear the responsibility of performing the last rites and other related rituals of the destitute and unclaimed bodies.
"Akhada Parishad has issued instructions to all the members, the saints and priests of the parishad and otherwise also to inform us about the destitute who do not have anyone to cremate them and the rest will be taken care of by us," said Mahant Narendra Giri, president, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad said on Monday.
For this purpose, the Parishad is not only contacting the saints living in villages of economically weaker blocks like Koraon, Meja, Shankargrah, but also the devotees coming to Lete Hanuman Ji temple at Sangam to offer 'jhanda' (flag).
Mahant Giri said that often poor Hindus were forced to bury the unclaimed bodies for lack of finances. Even other rituals were not performed.
"Burial of body is not a norm in Sanatan Dharma. So we find it our moral and social responsibility to help those who are poor and no one to look after and perform post-death rituals," added the Mahant.
He said that the members of Akhara Parishad were also directed to spread the word so that anyone who came across such abandoned or unclaimed bodies should give the Parishad a call in and around Sangam city.
"A van will reach the spot to carry the corpse and rest will be done by us. We have instructed our team members to position around half a dozen persons at the office behind the temple 24x7, who will tackle such cases," he added.
Parishad officials said this initiative was just the beginning as the Parishad wanted to counter the practice of religious conversion of economically weaker sections going on in remote trans-Yamuna and trans-Ganga areas of the district.