Bhubaneswar: In reaction to the statement of Congress MP Manish Tewari over the cremation of two Russian tourists who died under mysterious circumstances in a hotel at Rayagada in Odisha, Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, clarified that cremation in Russia is as customary as burial.
The Consulate General of Russia in Kolkata also stated on Thursday, “The nearest relatives of the deceased have clearly expressed their will to have bodies of Vladimir Bydanov and Pavel Antov cremated and their remains (ashes) brought to Russia.”
The nearest relatives of the deceased have clearly expressed their will to have bodies of Vladimir Bydanov and Pavel Antov cremated and their remains (ashes) brought to Russia. https://t.co/2GOvef880o
— The Consulate General of Russia in Kolkata (@Ru_Cons_Kolkata) December 29, 2022
Bydanov had been found unconscious in his hotel room in Rayagada town of Odisha on December 22. He was later declared dead by doctors at the district headquarters hospital.
His roommate Antov (65), a Russian deputy (lawmaker) of the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir Region and multi-millionaire businessman, died after allegedly falling from the hotel’s third-floor terrace on December 24.
The two consecutive deaths aroused global interest because Antov was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year in June.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tewari had posted a video on Twitter highlighting the mysterious circumstances under which the Russian tourists Antov and Bidenov had died.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday the Congress MP stated, “Two Christians cremated not buried! Why? Hercule Poirot says burnt bodies tell no tales”.
In his reaction, Alipov tweeted, “We appreciate the investigation efforts by the Indian authorities into the death of two Russian nationals in Odisha.”
“Meanwhile it would be useful for some Hercule Poirot lovers to learn that cremation in Russia is as customary as burial,” he added.
Hercule Poirot is a fictional detective created by the British novelist Agatha Christie.
