Cops stop man’s cremation, suspect foul play

Ludhiana: The division number 6 police stopped the cremation of a man, who had injury marks on the head, in Dholewal and sent the body for autopsy. Hopna Murmu, 36, originally from West Bengal, died after suffered injuries in Machhiwara, but his kin took his body directly to a cremation ground in Dholewal.
Finding the matter suspicious, the workers at the Dholewal cremation ground informed the police, who intervened and stopped the cremation process.
ASI Kulwinder Singh said Hopna had injury marks on his head. “When his wife and two other men tried to cremate him in Ludhiana, we suspected something fishy. We got his autopsy done and sent the matter to the Machhiwara police.” According to the kin, Hopna suffered injury in Macchiwara after he slipped.
Inspector Randeep Kumar, SHO, Machhiwara police station, said Hopna along with his wife and two other friends had come to Machhiwara on July 16 to find work. Hopna’s brother also worked in a factory in Machhiwara. According to the kin, Hopna fell in the bathroom and suffered head injury on July 17. He was admitted to a hospital for a day. On July 22, they were to return to West Bengal and were waiting at Ludhiana railway station for a train when Hopna’s health deteriorated and later died.
“The autopsy report is awaited which would ascertain the cause of death,” the inspector said.