Bodies found buried in sand on banks of Ganga river in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao

Photo used for representational purpose. Pic/AFP

Four days after dead bodies of suspected Covid-19 patients were spotted floating on the Ganga river in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, reports have now shown that multiple bodies have been buried in sand at two locations along the Ganga river in Unnao district.

Visuals from the two locations show buried bodies with locals looking on. Incidentally, most of the bodies were wrapped in a saffron cloth.

However, there was no confirmation if these bodies were of Covid-19 patients.

Unnao District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, "Some people do not burn the bodies but bury them in the sand by the river. After I got information, I have sent officials to the spot. I have asked them to carry out an enquiry and we will take action."

The bodies were mainly found buried at the Rautapur Ganga Ghat in Hajipur area.

Meanwhile, there is panic among the locals after it was found that bodies were being buried in sand on the banks of the river.

Shirish Gupta, a local businessman, said: "Monsoon is barely a month away and once the Ganga river becomes flooded with water, these bodies will be washed ashore. The district administration should exhume the bodies and perform a proper cremation."

Officials were tight -lipped on the suggestion. "It could create a law-and-order problem if we take out the bodies. We will see what best can be done," said a senior district official.

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Sources said that ever since the death toll in the ongoing pandemic began rising, the prices of performing cremation have also shot up.

"A package for cremation according to Hindu rites, is now between Rs 15,000 to 20,000. It is obvious that poor people cannot afford it and they are opting for riverside burials," said Gupta.

On Tuesday, the Bihar government had said that altogether 71 bodies have been fished out from the Ganges in Buxar district, where these were found floating in the river, triggering suspicion that the abandoned corpses could be those of Covid-19 patients.

State Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar, a key aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, came out with a series of tweets, asserting that the bodies had flown downstream from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

"The Bihar government is seized of the matter of unfortunate case of floating mortal remains in river Ganga... The bodies have floated into Bihar from UP," said Jha, adding, doctors have confirmed upon post-mortem that the deaths had taken place "four-five days" ago.

He said the chief minister was pained at both the tragedy as well as the "harm" to river Ganga.

A large number of bloated corpses were seen floating in the river bed in Chausa block of Buxar district on Monday, triggering shock waves.

Though some news channels claimed these were of Covid-19 patients who might have been abandoned by resource- starved family members or dumped by callous officials, the local administration had strongly denied the same, asserting that none of the deceased was a local resident, and the bodies had flown downstream from adjoining UP districts.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, bodies were seen floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia and Ghazipur districts, according to local residents and the authorities.

According to Ballia residents, at least 45 bodies were seen floating at the Ujiyar, Kulhadia and Bharauli ghats in the Narahi area.

However, the district authorities did not reveal the exact number of bodies found there.

Ballia district magistrate Aditi Singh in a statement said "some bodies in bad condition" were seen under the Ballia-Buxar bridge.

Superintendent of police Vipin Tada said he did not know how many bodies were found. "The bodies were old. In Bihar, there is a tradition of disposing of dead bodies in the river," he said, adding that seeing the wind direction, it seems the bodies came from Bihar.

Meanwhile, bodies were seen floating in Ghazipur's Gahmar and Bara villages, according to residents there.

Earlier, residents in UP's Hamirpur district had spotted five bodies floating in the Yamuna, creating a scare that these were of Covid-19 patients, an apprehension dismissed by the authorities.

"After speaking to people and looking at the bodies, prima facie, it can be said these were not of Covid-19 patients as these were draped in a traditional manner and no body was wrapped as done in the case of Covid-19 victims," Hamirpur district magistrate Gyaneshwar Tripathi had said in a statement.

West Bengal ups Ganga vigil to block floating bodies

After a large number of bodies were fished out of Ganga in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the West Bengal government asked Malda district administration to step up vigil along the river for bodies found floating downstream and cremate them in keeping with protocol.

Ganga enters West Bengal through Malda and so surveillance has been increased in the district to restrict the bodies from entering the state.

According to senior government officials, Ganga touches the state at Manikchawk block via Rajmahal in Jharkhand and so measures have been taken to stop the floating bodies near Manikchawk so that it doesn't reach Farakka barrage.

"The river in Manikchawk is wide and so we are trying to restrict it near Gadai island where the river is comparatively narrow. Gadai island is little away from Manikchawk. It will be easier for us to trace the floating bodies there," a senior district state government official said.

Several boats have been arranged -- near Gadai island of Manikchak block -- to inspect the Ganga from Friday.

Police stations adjoining the river bank in -- Bhutni, Manikchak, Mothabari and Baishnabnagar -- have been alerted as also civil defence volunteers.

"The time of surveillance is yet to be finalized. We are waiting for a nod from the DM. We are announcing for people not to panic.

"As soon such a body is spotted, it would be recovered and disposed of accordingly," the DM said.

"We are taking all measures but considering the present level and current of water in the Ganga, we think the possibility is remote of bodies flowing in in the next 24 hours," a senior administrative official at Manikchawk block said.

(With inputs from agencies)