Assam: Hindu man’s body buried after villagers refused to assist with cremation, exhumed

Darrang (Assam) [India], August 13 (ANI): District administration officials in Assam’s Darrang have exhumed the body of a Hindu man who was buried by his family following his death after fellow villagers refused to cremate him because he had married outside his caste.
The incident took place on Friday in the Ganakchuba area of Mangaldoi in the state’s Darrang district and officials said that the man will now be cremated according to the Hindu rituals.
Officials exhumed the body of Atul Sarma, a Brahmin who married Pranita Devi, who belonged to the Koch community which is listed among the state’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) about 27 years ago.
According to sources, Sarma died on Tuesday at his home, and his family invited the other villagers to cremate his body in accordance with Hindu customs.
But, fellow villagers refused to touch the body and didn’t come forward to cremate the body because Atul Sarma married outside his caste.

Following this, the family members were forced to bury the body on the river bank.

Mukut Kakati, Officer-in-Charge of Mangaldoi police station said that the body will be cremated according to the Hindu rituals.

“We didn’t get any information about the incident. If somebody had informed us then we would have done it according to the Hindu rituals. It’s a very unfortunate incident,” Kakati said.
According to reports, Sarma and his entire family had been since his marriage were excommunicated by the village and barred from participating in social and religious activities.
(ANI)