NHRC issues notice to Centre, UP and Bihar over bodies dumped in Ganga

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, on the matter of dead bodies of suspected COVID-19 victims found floating in the Ganga river after receiving complaints.  

A press statement was issued to this effect which stated that: "It (NHRC) has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of both the states and the Secretary, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, today calling for action taken report within four weeks."

The NHRC statement noted that the public authorities had allegedly failed to take concentric efforts in educating the masses and checking the immersion of half burnt or unburnt dead bodies into the Ganga.

A complainant was registered on May 11,2021, based on several media reports, which expressed apprehensions that these dead bodies were of COVID-19 victims. The disposal of dead bodies could seriously affect persons dependent on the river for their day to day activities. 

Further, the complaint stated that even if these dead bodies were not of COVID victims, hen such practice/incidents are shameful and amounts to violation of human rights of deceased persons. 

The complainant sought for the intervention of the Commission for strict action against negligent public authorities, who failed to prevent such incidents. 

According to residents in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, at least 52 bodies were seen floating at the Ujiyar, Kulhadia and Bharauli ghats in the Narahi area. Similar reports of bodies floating in Ganga have come from Bihar.

India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 2,37,03,665 on Thursday with a single-day rise of 3,62,727 cases while the death toll rose to 2,58,317 with 4,120 more people succumbing to it.