Decomposed floating bodies in Ganga spark panic in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh

At a time when the two most populous states of the country Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are toiling hard to mitigate the Covid crisis, the discovery of around 100 dead bodies in the Ganges has pushed authorities on their toes in the region. As many as 96 dead bodies have been found floating in the Ganga in the last two days. Most of them were decomposed and bloated.

The unwanted discovery has triggered panic among nearby residents in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as they believe that these bodies were of Covid victims which were dumped in the river. While 71 bodies have been recovered in Bihar’s Buxar, 25 bodies have been found in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district. The authorities are yet to confirm if the bodies were of the COVID-19 victims. They claimed that samples have been sent for test. Meanwhile, the Buxar police officials suspect that the bodies may have washed in from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga flows through Kanpur, Hamirpur, Prayagraj, Chandauli, Varanasi, Ghazipur and then enters Bihar’s Buxar district.

Buxar District Magistrate Aman Sameer said the administration is keeping a close watch on Ganga ghats to ensure that bodies are not allowed to be dumped in the river.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has also taken a serious note of the incident. He has advised both the states to take cognizance of the matter immediately, saying that it’s a matter of investigation. The minister added that the Modi government is committed to maintaining piety and continuity of mother Ganga.

In Uttar Pradesh, several communities follow Jal Samadhi in which bodies are disposed of in the river. The UP government has already issued an order directing people to stop Jal Samadhi.