After Bihar, Bodies Now Found Floating in Ganga in UP’s Ghazipur

Locals in Ghazipur fear the spread of diseases as the fear of COVID-19 looms large.

Representational photo.

(Photo: PTI)

A day after over 45 bodies in varying stages of decomposition were found floating in the Ganga in Bihar’s Buxar, several bodies were found floating in the same river on Tuesday, 11 May, but this time in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, reported ANI.

A probe is underway into the matter.

MP Singh, the District Magistrate, Ghazipur said they have received the information and that officers are present at the spot. “We are trying to find out where they came from,” he said, according to the report.

A.K. Pandey, the SHO of Gahmar police station in Ghazipur, told IANS that the bodies were found in a decomposed stage on the bank of the Ganga river.

"Preliminary investigation reveals that the dead bodies could be 18 to 20 days old. There were 23 dead bodies recovered from the river and some of the dead bodies were partially cremated and then thrown into the river,” he said.

Locals in Ghazipur complained of the stench and accused authorities of inaction, all the while fearing the spread of diseases as the fear of COVID looms large.

"We informed the administration about the matter, but no action has been taken by them. If the situation continues like this, there is fear of us getting infected by coronavirus," Akhand, a resident, told ANI.

Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday termed the incident as "unfortunate" on Twitter and asked concerned states to take immediate cognisance.

The Incident in Bihar

The administration in Bihar's Buxar district on Monday found at least 45 bodies, most in a decomposed stage, floating in the Ganga.

Ashok Kumar, Block Development Officer of Chausa in the district, said that they had spotted at least 45 dead bodies at Mahadev Ghat, and dismissed claims of the bodies numbering 100.

The authorities claimed that the bodies had been thrown into the river upstream in Uttar Pradesh.

Buxar SDO KK Upadhyay told NDTV they believed that the bodies were not from Buxar because there was no tradition of disposing of bodies in the river.

According to IANS, Upadhyay said that during their preliminary investigation, it appeared that the dead bodies were five to six days old and had decomposed.

(With inputs from NDTV, ANI, IANS.)