Even as leprosy has been scientifically proved as a non-contagious disease, villagers of Basudevpalli under Boudh district’s Manmunda police station are yet to accept it.
Though Jaynarayan Sahu of the village, a leprosy patient, died on Wednesday morning, nobody from the village came forward to help the family to cremate the body. At last, Jayanarayan’s married daughter, son and son-in-law carried the body on their shoulders and cremated the same on the graveyard.
According to information, Jaynarayan was a retired bank official and affected by leprosy for a long time. After he died, family members called neigbourers to cremate the body. But nobody came forward to take the body to the crematorium. Finally, his daughter Manjurani (35) and two others of the family carried the body to the crematorium and cremated the same.