AT LEAST 96 unidentified bodies – many of them decomposed and bloated – were found floating in the Ganga over the past few days, triggering fears among local residents in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that bodies of COVID victims were being dumped in the river. While 71 of the bodies were fished out in Bihar’s Buxar district, at least 25 bodies were found in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district. While authorities in both districts are yet to confirm if the bodies were of COVID victims, saying samples have been sent for tests, police in Buxar said they suspected the bodies may have floated in from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.

 

The Central Government has taken serious note of the issue, with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking an investigation by both States. Buxar District Magistrate Aman Sameer said the local administration has been keeping a close watch on Ganga ghats to ensure that bodies are not allowed to be dumped in the river. The Uttar Pradesh Government has already passed an order directing people to stop Jal Samadhi – a ritual followed by some communities in which bodies are disposed by putting them in the river. “This order is being followed strictly in the state. Taking cognisance of reports regarding the dumping of dead bodies in the Ganga river and its tributaries, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has also asked all District Ganga Committees to take “necessary action” to address the issue and submit an “action taken report” within 14 days. NMCG Director General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra asked the panels to “immediately stop dumping of dead bodies, partially burnt bodies/ unclaimed or unidentified corpses in the river Ganga and its tributaries”.

 

He also asked them to ensure that all unidentified bodies are “properly disposed-of in accordance with the COVID-safety protocols.” The disturbing videos of floating bodies in the river have shocked most people in India as they see the macabre visuals on their TV and mobile sets. They depict how people during cremation, lost their sense of humanity, and decided to immerse the bodies in the flowing river, that too in the holy Ganga that hold immense religious and cultural significance for India and is associated with purity and piety. This did not happen on a single day. The immersion of bodies in rivers took place for at least 10 to 15 days, if local villagers are to be believed, yet they went on unnoticed and the activity continued. People living along the banks of Ganga have now realised the sins that their brethren have committed. Local officials are trying to create awareness among them and requesting them to cremate the bodies, instead of releasing them in the rivers for whatever reason. The respective district administrations must be vigilant, because the danger is not over.

 

The pandemic is spreading across thousands of villages and rural India is the next target of the virus after it has overwhelmed much of urban India. There are hundreds of villages and small towns dotting the Ganges, right from Uttarakhand to Bengal and even locating the dangers accruing due to the unscientific disposal of bodies can take eons, before any action can be initiated. This wrong practice can hit us hard and we may end up grappling with another battle of epic proportions if not tamed in time. Moreover, there are also reports that the coverings of the bodies are being removed from the corpses and used for medical purposes after re-purposing or recycling them locally, which pose another kind of grave danger. Proper awareness measures and police vigilance have to go hand in hand to douse the scary trend before it takes ominous proportions. It doesn’t take time for things to spiral out of hand in India due to its large population and mobility as we have already seen in large-scale COVID spike and resultant mismanagement in places due to lack of sufficient time and planning. This should not happen again, and thus the Governments have to be on alert, at least for the next week or two so that the fad ends and proper monitoring, tracking and legal provisions can be put in place to dissuade people from doing this as also punishing the wrongdoers in time to establish a deterrent. Releasing corpses in the Ganga or any river for that matter is a serious offence and must not be entertained under any pretext.

 

Every sane adult in the country knows the dangers COVID portends and practices that escalate the dangers cannot be accepted, come what may. There may be religious mandates that certain communities follow or there may be logistic compulsions like lack of space in crematoriums in certain places but despite the most pressing of reasons, no one can be allowed to risk the lives of others by their wrong actions.

 

Our rivers are already too polluted and dangerous for health even as millions of people worship these rivers, drink from them, bathe in them and solemnise a plethora of rituals with their water. Hence, it is a social obligation for all of us to keep our rivers clean for the general health and well being of the nation. Those violating this basic tenet of service to the nation deserve condemnation and punishment. No one is so fool in today’s world of information as not to know the action he is doing and the implications of the same on people, society and environment. If the bodies are indeed COVID-infected, as is being feared, the contamination of the river waters can be lethal and millions can be affected.

 

At this time of a national disaster of an unprecedented sort, no negligence, misconduct or risky practice can be given any leeway because the cascading effects are unpredictable and can be catastrophic for a large population, which we may need years to get out of should it get out of control. We have faltered on various counts in the recent past and it is stupid to take any chances at this juncture. By the way, every loophole has to be plugged through serious monitoring and punitive action against those responsible, especially as time is short and we are on tenterhooks.