Sonipat: At the Shiv Mukti Dham, Sonipat’s largest crematorium, ashes of Covid victims have been lying in lockers for months, unclaimed, waiting to be immersed in the Ganga or other holy rivers. Reason: while some families do not have money to perform the rituals, others haven’t been able to collect ashes as they are afraid to travel during the pandemic.
In a few cases, ashes remain in the crematorium because entire families have been wiped out by Covid.
As of 21 May, almost 40 urns containing ashes were lying in the crematorium’s locker.
Dr D.L. Malhotra, secretary of Shiv Mukti Dham, recalls the horror of late April when the second wave of Covid-19 was at its peak. “We cremated 35 bodies in one day on 27 April. We even had to use the space meant for the burial of kids. It was horrible. I don’t even want to think about it,” he said.
“At the peak of the wave, we had almost 80 unclaimed asthiyans (ashes) here with us and we had to annex a counter and store them in our shop here,” he told ThePrint.
So what happens to unclaimed urns? Malhotra said they visit Haridwar every year and immerse them in the Ganga.
“Although not so many, earlier also we used to take remains of unclaimed bodies to Haridwar annually and immerse them in the river in accordance with all customs and traditions,” he said.
Malhotra also said between 20 March and 27 April, more than 430 Covid bodies were cremated at the Shiv Mukti Dham. However, the official state data for the number of cumulative deaths in the district since the beginning of the pandemic is only 211.
‘We must have contingency plans’
The Shiv Mukti Dham, located at a stone’s throw away from Civil Hospital, Sonipat, has space for 30 pyres, besides one CNG furnace.
As cases continue to rise, Malhotra’s appeal to the government is to give the crematorium at least two more CNG furnaces. “We must have contingency plans, if another wave hits and it gets as bad as late April, then we need more space to handle bodies,” he said.
Cremations at the site are free of cost, and the crematorium also gives wood, ghee and other materials needed for last rites, without any extra charge.
“Even at the peak of the wave, we arranged wood for everyone so that nobody had to stress about getting wood for the pyre,” Malhotra said.
However, he added, the urns containing the victims’ ashes have remained in the crematorium as people are either not able to undertake the travel due to financial constraints or are avoiding a trip because of the fear of the pandemic.
In some cases, he pointed out, Covid killed all or most members of families, which is another reason the urns have not been claimed by anyone.
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