Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Tribal villagers perform last rites under plastic sheets amid rain
A woman named Jayabai lived in a small tribal village in India.
She was part of the village council and helped her community.
Sadly, she got sick and passed away.
When her family tried to say goodbye, it was raining very hard.
Their village does not have a special building for funeral fires, called a crematorium.
So the family had to stand in an open field and hold big plastic sheets over the fire.
They did this to stop the rain from putting out the flames.
The villagers are sad and upset about this situation.
They say every person deserves a proper and respectful goodbye.
They are asking the government to build a covered place for cremation so this never happens again.
Jayabai Mahadu Wagh, a sitting member of the local gram panchayat committee in Umbharai village, died following a brief illness.
Heavy rains on Tuesday forced her family to perform the last rites on open ground, holding plastic sheets over the funeral pyre to keep the flames alight.
The Katkari tribal hamlet in Shahapur taluka, Thane district, has had no crematorium for nearly eight decades since Independence.
Residents said every citizen has a fundamental right to a dignified funeral and called the lack of a crematorium unacceptable.
Villagers demanded that state and district authorities allocate land and construct a permanent covered cremation shed, warning that mere assurances would no longer suffice.
- Who
- Family members and residents of Umbharai village, including relatives of deceased gram panchayat member Jayabai Mahadu Wagh
- What
- The last rites for Jayabai Mahadu Wagh were performed on open ground with plastic sheets shielding the pyre from heavy rain because the tribal hamlet has no crematorium
- When
- On Tuesday, after Jayabai Mahadu Wagh died following a brief illness
- Where
- Umbharai village, Shahapur taluka, Thane district, Maharashtra, India
- Why
- The Katkari tribal settlement has lacked a crematorium for nearly eight decades since Independence, and residents demand a permanent covered cremation shed
- Incident
- Last rites performed under plastic sheets amid heavy rain on open ground
- Deceased
- Jayabai Mahadu Wagh, sitting member of the local gram panchayat committee
- Place
- Umbharai village, Shahapur taluka, Thane district, Maharashtra
- Community
- Katkari tribal hamlet
- Cause of death
- Brief illness
- Grievance
- No crematorium in the hamlet nearly eight decades after Independence
- Demand
- Land allocation and construction of a permanent covered cremation shed