NABRANGPUR: A 35-year-old man from Odisha's Koraput district walked several kilometres with his wife's body on his shoulder after she died in an auto-rickshaw while returning from a hospital in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Policemen spotted Samulu Pangi and arranged an ambulance to take the body of his wife Ide Guru (30) home in Sorada village of Pottangi block.
Pangi had admitted his ailing wife to a hospital in Sangivalasa in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. However, the doctors there said she was not responding to treatment and advised him to take her back home, around 100 kilometres away.
Pangi said he hired an auto-rickshaw for returning to his village but Guru died midway near Vizianagaram. The auto driver then refused to continue the journey and dropped them on Chelluru Ring Road before leaving the spot.
Finding no other way, Pangi started walking towards home, which was still around 80 kilometres away, carrying his wife's body on his shoulder.
After some time, alerted by local people, Rural Circle Inspector TV Tirupati Rao and Gantyada sub-inspector Kiran Kumar stopped him.
Initially, the Andhra Pradesh policemen were finding it difficult to gauge what Pangi was saying due to language problems. Later, one person was found who understands the Odisha man's language.
The police officials, after ascertaining what had happened, arranged for an ambulance that took Pangi and his wife's body to his village.
While Pangi thanked the police for their help, the locals appreciated the men for their timely response.
This incident is a reminder of a 2016 incident at Bhawanipatna in Odisha when another man, Dana Majhi, walked for around 12 kilometres carrying the body of his wife on his shoulder after being denied a hearse by a hospital. The incident hit international headlines and caused embarrassment for the government in Odisha.