Palpable tension prevailed at Umarkote town following burying of a dead body in a nearby residential area at Hetaguda by the local administration.
One Puspanjali Bagh, a young girl of Dongri Street, who had recently converted to Christianity, died on Friday. Family members alleged that as the girl’s name was not registered in the church, local Christians did not allow performing the rituals in their burial ground. The situation reportedly worsened when family members were not allowed to cremate the body at another cemetery meant for the Hindus.
As none came to their rescue and there is no separate cemetery for converted Christians, the family members blocked the Umarkote-Kondagam road for several hours. Later the local Tehsildar intervened and showed a land near Hetaguda for cremation. The family members in the presence of the Tehsildar and police officials buried the body there on Friday night. Residents of Hetaguda and some Hindu organisations objected to the administration’s act alleging that the body was buried adjacent to the road near where several Hindu families reside. They blocked the Umarkote-Nabrangpur State Highway demanding shifting the body somewhere else. Vehicular traffic disrupted and shops commercial establishments were closed in the locality.
However, Nabarangpur ADM Bhaskar Raita, Additional SP Jaykrishna Behera and SDPO Subhendu Sabara rushed to Umarkote and were holding talks with the agitating groups till the last report came in.
Some local denizens said communal organisations were trying for a clash, adding fuel to the fire. Three platoons of police personnel were deployed in the locality.