2 weeks ago
Shahapur Tribal Hamlet Performs Cremation in Open Field Amid Rain
A woman from a small tribal village passed away.
Her name was Jayabai Mahadu Wagh.
Her family and neighbours wanted to give her a proper farewell.
But their village, called Katkariwadi, does not have a cremation ground where such farewells are held.
So they had to do the cremation in an open field.
It rained very heavily, so the villagers held big plastic sheets over the fire so it wouldn't go out.
The roads were so bad that no ambulance could reach the village, so the villagers carried her body on their shoulders for about 1.5 kilometres.
The residents have been asking their leaders for a cremation ground for almost two years.
They say more than 250 other villages in the area have the same problem.
They hope the government builds a proper cremation ground and roads so no family has to say goodbye in the rain.
The last rites of Jayabai Mahadu Wagh, a gram panchayat committee member, were performed in an open field in Umbharai village's Katkari settlement because no cremation ground exists there.
Heavy rain during the ceremony forced villagers to hold tarpaulin and plastic sheets over the funeral pyre to keep it burning.
Due to poor road connectivity and no ambulance access, villagers carried Wagh's body about 1.5 km on their shoulders.
Residents say they have demanded a cremation ground for nearly two years, after then-Shahapur tehsildar Parmeshwar Kaluse inspected land and assured the facility would be built.
Villagers and social organisations claim more than 250 villages and hamlets across Shahapur taluka lack proper cremation facilities.
- Who
- Jayabai Mahadu Wagh, a gram panchayat committee member from the Katkari settlement in Umbharai village, along with her fellow villagers.
- What
- Her last rites had to be performed in an open field amid heavy rain because the settlement has no cremation ground.
- Where
- Katkariwadi settlement in Umbharai village, Shahapur taluka.
- When
- On Tuesday, in an incident reported 79 years after Independence.
- Why
- Lack of a designated cremation ground, poor road connectivity and no ambulance access in the tribal settlement.
Key facts
- Deceased
- Jayabai Mahadu Wagh, gram panchayat committee member
- Location
- Katkariwadi settlement, Umbharai village, Shahapur taluka
- Settlement population
- Around 100
- Distance body carried
- About 1.5 km
- Demand pending
- Nearly two years for a cremation ground
- Villages affected (claimed)
- More than 250 across Shahapur taluka
- Shahapur taluka size
- 110 gram panchayats, 227 revenue villages, 414 villages and hamlets
Quotes
Keshav Pawar
Resident of Katkariwadi village
“There is no proper road and no cremation facility in Katkariwadi. Even during heavy rain, villagers are left with no option but to put up tarpaulin sheets and somehow perform the last rites.”
freepressjournal.in
“There is no proper road to bring the body home. We had to carry it on our shoulders. There is also no designated place for cremation, forcing us to perform the last rites near the river.”
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