According to preliminary reports, the number of dead bodies range from anywhere between 40 to 150 and are believed to have been dumped into the river in Uttar Pradesh.
Dead bodies of those who died of COVID-19 float on the banks of Ganga river in Bihar’s Chausa town. Photo: Twitter.
New Delhi: Chausa town in Bihar’s Bauxer district woke up to the sight of bloated and decomposed dead bodies floating on the banks of river Ganga on Monday, believed to be bodies of those who succumbed to COVID-19 in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh. Different media reports put the number of dead bodies from anywhere between 40 and 150.
According to preliminary reports, the bodies are believed to have been dumped into the river in Uttar Pradesh by relatives who could not find space to cremate their loved ones who died of COVID-19. Chausa town borders Uttar Pradesh.
“They are bloated and have been in the water for at least five to seven days. We are disposing of the bodies. We need to investigate where they are from, which town in UP – Bahraich, Varanasi or Allahabad,” NDTV quoted an official of Bauxer district, K.K. Upadhyay, as saying. He also added that he was sure of the fact that the bodies were not from Bihar as they do not have such a tradition of dumping dead bodies in the river.
As news spread through the day, panic gripped Chausa that played into the fear that it could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases in town. The incident has led to a blame game between the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh governments, with the Bihar government ordering an enquiry.
In another incident, on Saturday, May 8, several partially burnt bodies were seen floating in the Yamuna at Hamirpur town.
The Congress party has alleged those bodies are proof of the untold and hidden Covid deaths. India has recorded over three lakh COVID-19 cases daily for nearly three weeks and hit record deaths.