BARIPADA: A fight between two brothers over property reportedly delayed the funeral of their elderly mother for over 10 hours in Balasore district on Tuesday.
The distressing incident took place in the house of the deceased, identified as 78-year-old Tulasi Das, at Lokanathpur village under Basta police limits.
Sources said Tulasi had three sons. Her elder son Arjun Das is reportedly missing for several years. She was staying with her other two sons Rakesh Das (32) and Rajesh Das (35). However, Rakesh and Rajesh were reportedly not in talking terms after a fight over sharing of property.
Tulasi died due to age-related ailments at around 10.30 am on Tuesday. When Rakesh requested Rajesh to perform the last rites as he was the elder son, the latter reportedly refused to attend or take part in the rituals. The elderly woman’s body lay unattended for over 10 hours as villagers also reportedly did not come forward to assist Rakesh despite repeated requests.
After coming to know about the incident, a local journalist, Ajit Kumar Sahoo, alerted Basta police and contacted fellow scribes. Soon, journalists and police personnel reached Tulasi’s house and carried her body on their shoulders to the cremation ground near Subarnarekha river. The elderly woman’s last rites were finally performed at around 8.30 pm.
Sub-inspector of Amarda outpost Bijay Kumar Barik, who assisted in cremating Tulasi, said, “Police performed their moral duty as human beings.”
Among those who attended the cremation were journalists Dinabandu Bindhani and Rabinarayan Satpathy, constable Bishnuprasad Dehuri, Ramchandra Hembram, Thakur Majhi and Jagal Murmu.
