Bargarh (Odisha): A village in Western Odisha on Monday was a mute spectator to a shameful incident in which two sisters had to carry the body of their 70-year-old mother to the cremation ground for the funeral rites.
Residents of the Baipalli village under Sohela block of Bargarh district remained mute spectators as the two sisters Chandrakanti, 35, and Rechi, 30, along with Chandrakanti's husband carried the bier to the cremation ground.
The reason why these villagers stayed away from the lady’s funeral stems from a superstition.
Dei Pradhan, the old woman’s husband, was suffering from leprosy and had fled his home and village several years ago after he was ostracized by villagers because of age-old superstition. It was because of this social evil that villagers stayed away from the lady's funeral on Monday.
Even the local female Sarpanch Swarnakanta Barik stayed away citing health reasons. Shockingly, even the old lady's son Anand, who lived in a nearby village, decided not to attend his mother's funeral.
According to Hindu tradition, a dead body is always carried by a minimum number of four persons to the cremation ground. On Monday, there were only three - the two sisters and son-in-law. Rechi is unmarried, and the family continues to be ostracized because of leprosy.
