Dead denied dignity: Man’s body ‘floated’ on tied drums through Rewa floodwaters
Villagers in Madhya Pradesh were forced to transport a deceased man's body across floodwaters using a makeshift raft made of drums. The incident has sparked public outrage and allegations of administrative negligence, though local officials claim boats were provided.
Why it matters
It highlights critical infrastructure failures and the lack of emergency services in rural India during monsoon seasons, raising questions about human dignity and government accountability.
BHOPAL: In a disturbing picture of how floods can strip even the dead of dignity, villagers in Rouli village of MP’s Rewa district had to tie drums together to make a makeshift raft and place a body on it to cross floodwaters and reach the deceased’s home from hospital.The episode has triggered allegations of insensitivity against the local panchayat, even as officials denied the charges and claimed boats had already been arranged for the village.Motilal Tiwari, a 55-year-old resident of Rouli under Jawa block in Rewa’s Sirmour assembly constituency, died on Sunday at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa town after prolonged illness. The route to his house was cut off by floodwaters, forcing villagers to put together the makeshift raft through the water before taking it home. The last rites were performed subsequently.A video of the body on the raft surfaced on social media, triggering outrage.
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