Bhubaneswar: In an unfortunate incident, the body of a 65-year-old man has been lying uncremated for nearly 24 hours in Gajigaon village under Rayagada block due to strong opposition from villagers over his religious conversion.
The deceased, Jakaka Dama, belonging to the tribal community, had converted to Christianity four to five years ago. He had been ill for several months and passed away yesterday morning around 7 am.
According to Christian tradition, Dama was supposed to be buried at the local burial ground. However, villagers strongly objected, stating that the crematorium is meant exclusively for burial rites of people belonging to tribal community. They refused to allow the burial of the body. As a result, the last rites could not be performed even after 24 hours of the death.
Moreover, a village meeting was held to resolve the matter, but no solution has been reached so far. Locals said that following the death of any person in the village, cooking is traditionally stopped. Due to the ongoing stalemate, no cooking has taken place in the village since yesterday.
It is learnt that four to five Adivasi families in Gajigaon village have converted to Christianity in recent years. The deceased is survived by three sons and other relatives. No formal complaint has been lodged so far.
The situation remains tense as the body continues to lie without final rites.
