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Mass cremations in the city of Bengaluru, India, due to the large number of COVID-19 deaths.
Generally, tradition holds that the body is to be cremated or buried as quickly as possible - within 24 hours for Hindus, Jains and Muslims, and within three days for Sikhs. This need for rapid disposal has also contributed to the current crisis.
Workers digging as they prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19 in Guwahati, Assam.
Hundreds of families want their loved ones’ bodies cared for as quickly as possible, but there is a shortage of people who can do the funerals and last rites. This has led to a situation where people are paying bribes in order to get space or a furnace for cremation. There are also reports of physical fights, and intimidation.
Indians are forced to change rituals for their dead as COVID-19 rages through cities and villages
Natasha Mikles, Texas State University
May 4, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail Natasha Mikles, Texas State University
(THE CONVERSATION) In the past several weeks, the world has looked on in horror as the coronavirus rages across India. With hospitals running out of beds, oxygen and medicines, the official daily death toll has averaged around 3,000. Many claim that number could be an undercount; crematoriums and cemeteries have run out of space.
The majority of India’s population are Hindu, who favor cremation as a way of disposing of the body. But the Muslim population, which is close to 15%,favors burying its dead.
Mass cremations like this in New Delhi are becoming commonplace in India because of the skyrocketing deaths due to COVID-19. Exposure Visuals/Shutterstock
The majority of India s population are Hindu, who favor cremation as a way of disposing of the body. But the Muslim population, which is close to 15 percent, favors burying its dead.
Generally, tradition holds that the body is to be cremated or buried as quickly as possible within 24 hours for Hindus, Jains and Muslims, and within three days for Sikhs. This need for rapid disposal has also contributed to the current crisis.
Hundreds of families want their loved ones bodies cared for as quickly as possible, but there is a shortage of people who can do the funerals and last rites. This has led to a situation where people are paying bribes in order to get space or a furnace for cremation. There are also reports of physical fights, and intimidation.
COVID Disaster Is Transforming How India Handles Its Dead yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.