BARGARH : Dignity to the dead seems to have become a mere motto and the Supreme Court directive on the issue thrown to the wind, with more such incidents coming to the fore.
On Tuesday afternoon, the residents of Bargarh were witness to a grotesque site of dogs feasting on a dead body of a man at Agrasen Chowk in the town.
According to sources, some people spotted stray dogs nibbling the lower torso of a body that was half concealed in HDPE (high density polyethylene) bag and informed police. Police rushed to the spot, shooed away the dogs and quickly arranged for burial.
It is learnt that the body belonged to an unidentified man who died at Bargarh District Headquarters Hospital on August 27. After an autopsy and retaining it in the mortuary for three days for identification, police directed the sweepers for its burial.
With the State Government providing a meagre sanction to dispose of unidentified bodies, sweepers either dump those in the garbage yard or bury it about a feet or two below the ground after packing it. It is done to facilitate exhumation in case police sense foul play and decide for a second autopsy or family members appear to claim the body.
In this case, it seems that stray dogs might have pulled out the HDPE bag and after nibbling the lower torso, dragged it to the spot.
The HDPE bag was found torn and part of decomposed body visible. While people are yet to come out of shock, police are trying to underplay the issue in a bid to cover up their own negligence. Police are blaming sweepers of the hospital while it is evident that they never verified or checked for themselves whether the body was properly disposed of.
Bargarh Sub-collector Bhisma Punamkant Ekka visited the spot long after the body was removed for burial. However, Ekka claimed he went to the spot where the body was buried again and verified things.
Supreme Court directive
In February, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to submit guidelines framed by it for disposal of unclaimed dead bodies and their DNA profiling saying the ‘dignity of the dead’ should be maintained. The bench had stated that framing of just guidelines does not mean proper disposal of bodies. The guidelines need to be implemented in such a way that the dignity of the dead should be maintained.