Dogs digging riverbank graves to feast on bodies
PRAYAGRAJ: In two videos that have gone viral on social media, dogs can be seen eating corpses after digging shallow graves on sandy riverbank purportedly at Shringverpur Ghat, located around 32 km from Sangam city in trans-Ganga region of Prayagraj district.
Hundreds of graves have come up on the banks of the Ganga in the last few days. It is alleged that relatives of deceased persons buried these bodies as they had no money for a proper cremation.
Although, the officials are in denial mode, locals in Shringverpur confirm that large number of graves are now visible along the ghat,and stray dogs can be seen digging them up.
The disturbing videos that have gone viral claim to have been shot at Shringverpur Ghat. Two stray dogs can be seen pulling flesh from a body that is still under the sand while another is sitting on a nearby grave.
A local, Paramnath Yadav said winds are blowing away sand from the shallow graves while the dogs are taking out bodies and feeding on them.
Graves are now visible in large numbers on the banks of Ganga at Shringverpur while earlier there were only a few at designated spots, he said.
Another local, Mewalal Maurya said not only from Prayagraj but people from adjoining districts come to Shringverpur ghat for cremation of bodies.
On normal days, only 5 to 10 bodies were cremated here but numbers of bodies increased last month when on some days even 100 bodies came on a day.
With rains and increase in water level, the bodies may come up and pose further threats to locals, he added.
As the cost of wood was high, many families buried their dead in the sand and left, say locals.
With large number of deaths due to Covid, local priests have also stopped sitting at ghats prompting people to bury the bodies near bathing ghats as there was no one to stop them, they alleged.
Priests insist that those belonging to Shaiv sect of Hindus usually bury their dead, but only at spots designated for burial by the administration.
Shringverpur is considered a sacred place.
It is where Lord Ram was taken across Ganga by Nishadraj as per the mythology.
SDM Anil Chaturvedi denied that new graves had come up at Shringverpur.
“There is tradition of burying bodies of seers, unmarried woman and children but no new bodies have been buried at Shringverpur ghat during last few days.
Awareness campaigns had been launched to stop people if they come to bury dead bodies. Police has been deployed at the ghat to keep an eye” Chaturvedi said.
Not just Shringverpur, a large number of graves were also visible at Phaphamau, Arail, Jhunsi banks. Some of them had been covered with clothes, while a few surrounded with bamboo sticks to mark the place.