Nearly 100 Bodies Found Floating In Ganga, Sparks Panic In Bihar, Uttar Pradesh; Probe On

In an extremely shocking news, at least 96 unidentified bodies 每 many of them decomposed and bloated 每 have been found floating in the Ganga over the past couple of days. It has triggered fears among local residents in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that bodies of Covid victims were being dumped in the river.

What happened

While 71 of the bodies have been fished out in Bihar＊s Buxar district, at least 25 bodies were found in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh＊s Ghazipur district. The spot is round 55 km upriver from Bihar's Buxar, where bodies were found for a second straight on Monday, evoking shock and anger.

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The Bihar authorities had argued that the corpses had floated down from Uttar Pradesh, as their state has no tradition of consigning bodies to water. The authorities in both districts are yet to confirm if the bodies were of Covid victims, saying samples have been sent for tests.

It is suspected that in absence of any Covid protocols at rural crematoriums, locals fearful of further spread of the infection were forced to consign the bodies in the river. However, now the fear of contamination of water that may lead to rapid spread of the disease has triggered panic across both the states.

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The Ganges (2525 km) is the longest river in India and also the largest river in India followed by Godavari (1465 km). It flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. The last part of Ganges ends in Bangladesh, where it finally converges in the Bay of Bengal.

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What the govt is saying

The central government has taken serious note of the issue, with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking an investigation by both states. ※Floating bodies in Ganga in Buxar, Bihar is unfortunate. It is surely a matter of investigation. [Narendra] Modi government is committed to maintaining piety and continuity of mother Ganga. States [Bihar and UP] concerned must take cognizance of the matter immediately,§ he tweeted.

Buxar SP Neeraj Kumar has said that the bodies were disposed off as per government Covid protocols adding that some bodies could have floated in from UP. It is subject of investigation for Bihar and UP police.

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On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh＊s ADG (Law and order) Prashant Kumar maintained that the bodies have been found in Bihar, and it is the responsibility of the Bihar government to investigate them and take further action. He said it was not right to blame UP.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has already passed an order directing people to stop Jal Samadhi 每 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,§ ADG Kumar said.

What locals are saying

The locals have complained about the stench and accused the authorities of ineptitude. "We informed the administration about the matter, but no action has been taken by them. If the situation continues like this, there is fear of us getting infected by coronavirus," said Akhand, a resident, reported ANI.

PTI

The bodies in Buxar were first noticed by villagers near Mahadeva cremation ground along the river in Buxar＊s Chousa village on Monday. They then alerted the district authorities.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga flows through Kanpur, Hamirpur, Prayagraj, Chandauli, Varanasi, Ghazipur and then enters Bihar＊s Buxar district. Varanasi Divisional Commi-ssioner Deepak Agarwal said the bodies were recovered at different places in Ghazipur district along the Ganga. ※There is no way to ascertain if these deaths were due to Covid. None of the bodies could be identified,§ he said.

According to state government data, in the past 15 days, 59 people have died in Ghazipur district due to Covid, taking the toll in the district to 178. Buxar has so far 1,172 active Covid cases. The district recorded 26 Covid deaths till Monday.