The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) completed the cremation process for 28 unclaimed bodies of individuals who tragically lost their lives in a triple train accident that occurred in Balasore district, Odisha, four months ago. This solemn task was carried out on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, according to BMC officials.
The process of cremating these unidentified bodies, which commenced on Tuesday evening, was finalized at approximately 8 a.m. on Wednesday, as confirmed by BMC Mayor Sulochana Das. Mayor Das expressed her appreciation for the active participation of women volunteers in the funeral proceedings, despite the lack of knowledge about the religion or gender of the deceased individuals.
"Women volunteers, irrespective of any stigma, came forward and performed the last rites for these unidentified bodies. They may have been our kin in previous lives," Ms. Das remarked.
The bodies had been preserved in a container for over four months, rendering them unrecognizable. All the bodies were cremated at the Bharatpur crematorium under BMC's supervision.
A Sacred Ritual
Madhusmita Prusty (37), Smita Mohanty (53), and Swagatika Rao (34) were among the volunteers who conducted the first three cremations. They explained their motivation, saying, "We came forward voluntarily to perform this sacred ritual for the unidentified bodies. They may have been our relatives in some previous existence."
Ms. Rao emphasized the impossibility of identifying the gender of the bodies due to their condition. She added, "Above all, they were human beings, and we ensured their last rites were carried out with dignity."
An NGO was engaged to perform 'Mukhagni' (lighting the funeral pyre) and collect bone fragments for immersion in water bodies. The unidentified bodies had been housed in AIIMS Bhubaneswar within a container following the triple train accident on June 2 in Baganaga Bazaar, Balasore district. These bodies were handed over to BMC by AIIMS Bhubaneswar authorities in the presence of CBI officials who are investigating the train tragedy that claimed 297 lives.
"All the unclaimed bodies have been cremated in accordance with state government, central government, and NHRC guidelines," stated a senior BMC official, emphasizing that the entire process from the handover of bodies to the funeral has been documented.
For investigative and legal purposes, the DNA of the bodies was preserved. "Although nobody came forward to claim the 28 bodies over the past four months, it is possible that someone may make a claim later. To address potential legal issues, we have preserved the DNA," explained Prof. Pravas Tripathy, the head of the Anatomy department at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
In a statement, AIIMS Bhubaneswar revealed that they had received 123 bodies on the night of June 4 and an additional 39 from Capital Hospital and other private health facilities. Among them, 81 bodies were identified by relatives, and the identity of another 53 was confirmed through DNA profiling and handed over to their families. "The remaining 28 bodies were handed over to BMC for final cremation on October 10," AIIMS Bhubaneswar stated.
The CBI, responsible for investigating the accident, recently requested the Khurda administration to proceed with the cremation of the bodies. Subsequently, the BMC was notified to prepare a standard operating procedure for the cremation process, in collaboration with AIIMS, where the bodies had been preserved.
The tragic triple train accident involving the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Super Fast Express, and a goods train occurred on June 2 near the Bahanaga Bazar station.
