In order to prevent the family of deceased to take out body and bury in the village, all male members of the Gudibadana village patrolled in the village
In order to prevent the family of deceased to take out body and bury in the village, all male members of the Gudibadana village patrolled in the village
In a bizarre incident, over 300 tribal men spent sleepless night fortifying village lanes and cremation ground in order to not let a family belonging to Christian community bury body of a deceased person in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.
The incident took place in Gudibadana village inhabited by Bhatra tribe under Jharigaon block on Friday. Jitru Bhatra (65), who had embraced Christianity years ago, died in the evening of Friday. When his two sons tried to give him burial at village cremation ground, villagers decided not to allow them perform last rites.
In order to prevent the family of deceased to take out body and bury in the village, all male members of the Gudibadana village patrolled in the village. For 24 hours, the body could not be taken out from the house.
“As per our tradition, outsiders or persons from other religions are not allowed to be cremated or buried in our village cremation ground. Since the family had refused to give up Christianity, we did not let them bury the body,” said Gana Bhatra, a resident of the village.
The deadlock continued for 24 hours before administration intervened. “The family was requested to bury the body at Pujariguda cemetery, five km from the village. However, local people again the opposed the move. Finally, the body was taken to a Church near district headquarter town of Nabarangpur,” said Mr. Bhatra.
As per the tradition prevailing in southern and western districts of Odisha, villagers do not allow bodies of other areas to be cremated in their cremation ground. Bhatra tribes are believed have migrated to Odisha from Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
Mahendra Bhatra, Sarpanch of Bhodra Gram Panchayat said, “Over 1000 villagers including women and children went without food for 24 hours as a body kept lying inside a house in the village. As per tribal tradition, no family in village can have food till a body is not taken out for cremation.” Tribals follow practice of both burial and cremation for last rite.
Last month, prohibitory orders were clamped near Umerkote in Nabarangpur district when villagers did not let burial of 32-year-old Christian woman to be performed. She was not denied access to cemetery following opposition from local Christians. Problem had arisen since family of deceased was not recorded in the church. Police had to resort to lathi charge to bring situation under control. Normalcy returned when the administration allotted a separate land for use of recently converted Christians.
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