DEOGARH (Odisha): An octogenarian woman from a village in Deogarh district was allegedly refused cremation by her fellow community members because she had married outside her caste - 50 years ago.
The shocking incident of generational caste prejudice was reported from Jaraikela village in Tileibeni block of Deogarh district.
Eighty-year-old Basanti Mahakud died on Tuesday afternoon but fellow community members did not step forward to give her a dignified goodbye. Her body was left unattended for hours before a social organisation conducted the cremation. Basanti was child-less and had become bed-ridden in the recent months due to old age.
According to reports, Basanti and her husband Loknath Mahakud had no children and faced social ostracism since marrying outside their caste around 50 years ago. While the couple was facing inconvenience due to old age, Loknath passed away nearly four years ago after which Basanti lived all by herself in a house provided under the government rural housing scheme.
In her final months, Basanti had become bed-ridden and entirely dependent on the goodwill of neighbours for survival. On Tuesday noon, a local resident came to deliver food but found her lifeless body on the floor of her house. He immediately alerted the villagers and informed members of her community but no one came forward to assist with the cremation due to her inter-caste status.
With no other options available, former panchayat samiti member Balram Gadnayak intervened and reached out to a local volunteer Akshay Sahu who agreed to help with the last rites. Other volunteers including Bipracharan Jaypuria, Prasanna Dhal, Binod Barua, Tuna Behera, Ramesh Nayak, Sanjay Kindo, and Silvester Bahal also joined the effort.
Later, activists from Bhim Army’s Deogarh unit including Rinku Behera, Paramananda Kusum, Bikash Ranjit, Sunil Nayak, and Kedar Rana arrived and extended help in carrying the body to the cremation ground of the village in a procession as per the rituals.
Despite heavy rainfall, the volunteers organised the funeral procession on Tuesday evening. They also borrowed an excavator from a nearby construction site and a grave was dug at the village cremation ground following which the body was cremated with dignity.
Former samiti member Balram Gadanayak said, the couple faced social isolation all their lives just because they chose to marry outside their caste. “It is very unfortunate that at a time when the community should have stood by her, they chose to turn their back. I am grateful to the volunteers who rose above such biases and gave her the respect she deserved in death,” he said.
The act of compassion and courage shown by the volunteers drew appreciation from various quarters.