Bhubaneswar: The bodies of seven members of a family from Atmaram slum at Jayadev Vihar in Bhubaneswar, who died after being swept away in a rain-swollen stream near the Maa Baglamukhi Temple in Nalkheda in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar-Malwa district, reached Bhubaneswar late on Sunday night before being cremated in Puri Swargadwar.
As per reports, the bodies arrived at around 1:30 am on Sunday night. Four senior officials of the Revenue Department of Agar-Malwa district and a police team brought the bodies in three ambulances.
As the news of the arrival of the bodies spread, a huge crowd gathered in front of Banamali Behera’s house and at Jayadev Vihar Square. Earlier, relatives had built seven pyres in front of Banamali’s house just before the arrival of the bodies.
Emotions ran high when the bodies of Banamali’s son Siba Prasad Behera, daughters Radharani and Ritarani, son-in-law Gyanendra, two grandsons and a granddaughter reached the slum at around 1:30 am and the entire area burst into wails. Police struggled to control the crowd. Police Commissioner and other senior officers reached the spot and controlled the crowd.
Subsequently, the bodies were taken from Jayadev Vihar to their ancestral home in Gadakana in three hearse vans. There, relatives and villagers had the last darshan. Later, all seven bodies were taken to Puri Swargadwar where the last rites were performed.
