KOCHI: In a shocking incident, a caretaker of Smrithi Theeram Public Crematorium, owned by Keezhmad panchayat, reportedly refused to perform the cremation of a 60-year-old man, on the pretext of attending the Nava Kerala Sadas event in Aluva.
Sasi P A’s family had notified the crematorium of his death and scheduled the final rites for 4pm on Thursday. “We scheduled the cremation on Thursday morning. Since the crematorium is close to our house, we opted to conduct the last rites at 4pm. However, to our shock, Ashokan refused to cremate the body, citing the Nava Kerala Sadas event,” said Shyam, the deceased person’s son.
Later, the family, with the assistance of residents, moved the ceremony to an SNDP-owned crematorium in Aluva, nearly 8km away from their residence in Ashokapuram.
The family also had to dish out Rs 4,500 for the final rites. “Being from a scheduled caste community, the family would only have had to spend Rs 1,500 at the Smrithi Theeram Public Crematorium. It is not just about the money, but the insult that the family of the deceased had to endure that is appalling,” said Anas, a family friend.
Sanila, a ward member, lodged a complaint urging the Keezhmadu panchayat secretary to take stringent action against the crematorium keeper. “The attitude is unjustifiable. The panchayat should take stringent action to prevent such incidents in the future,” Sanila said in her complaint.
However, Ashokan dismissed it as a politically motivated allegation. “It is true that I expressed my inconvenience due to personal reasons. However, that doesn’t mean that I refused cremation. One of my assistants was willing to carry out the final rites,” he told TNIE.