While the shocking incidence of Dana Majhi carrying the corpse of his wife on his shoulders in Kalahandi due to his inability to afford a conveyance is yet to fade away from people’s memory, a similar heartrending scene was witnessed in Kendrapada district on Wednesday.
Sarat Barik of Kothasahi village under Rajkanika block in the district had to carry his father Rabi Narayan Barik’s body on his shoulders due to unavailability of a hearse or any conveyance at the Community Health Centre (CHC) where the deceased had been admitted for treatment of jaundice.
As Sarat had no money to arrange a conveyance to carry his father’s body back to the village, he requested the CHC authorities to help him. The authorities said there was no conveyance facility at the CHC.
With no other options left, Sarat carried the body on his shoulders for about a km and was later assisted by his uncle, who reached the spot after receiving the sad news.
Midway, a person helped Sarat by allowing the body to be carried on his bike. later, the deceased’s funeral rites were conducted in the village.
Ironically, the CHC Health Officer-in-Charge was unaware of the incidence even after the body was kept on the verandah of the hospital for over two hours. “I was attending a meeting of the panchayat samiti when the incidence took place. There is no facility of any conveyance at the CHC for carrying corpses,” said Health Officer-in-Charge Dr Ajit Das.