‘Where is Maa Ganga ka beta?’ Varanasi residents share tales of being forced to pay huge sums for cremations

Even as hundreds of people afflicted with COVID-19 continue to die due to shortage of oxygen and deficient medical infrastructure across Uttar Pradesh, crematoriums in Prime Minister Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi are demanding exorbitant amounts of money from families to perform the last rites of their loved ones who have succumbed to the disease.

Various social media platforms are replete with tales from residents of Varanasi about crematoriums asking people to shell out anything between Rs 30,000-50,000 for cremation of their kin, in contrast to the usual charges of Rs. 2000-5000.

Journalist Utkarsh, who calls himself a Nehruvian, shared his experience on Twitter. In the post, he said he had to pay Rs 22,000 for the cremation of an aunt at Harishchandra ghat. Two days later, he had to pay Rs 30,000 for the cremation of his grandmother.

Journalist Piyush Rai also shared his grim experience on the micro blogging site, urging the Varanasi administration to initiate measures to address the issue.

“Varanasi admin should do something to fix rates at cremation ghats. Exorbitant prices are being charged from families cremating their loved ones on wooden pyre. I can say this by experience as I lost my grandmother 4 days ago,” tweeted Rai.

Akash who works with Khabartak Media, lashed out at PM Modi on Twitter, “Where is the MP of Varanasi? He should come see the plight of his constituency. People are dying. They are suffering due to lack of treatment...district administration is busy with hiding facts. Conditions are fast deteriorating in Varanasi. Hospitals have no place for patients.”

As per UP watchers, not only are people in the state suffering the apathy of the state govt in this critical time, but they were being virtually blackmailed to pay huge sums of money for performing their kin’s last rites, adding to their financial burden.

On top of that, the data on COVID deaths is being fudged by the administration.

At Varanai’s Manikarnika ghat for instance, almost 150 dead bodies a day are being cremated for the last one week or so, but less than 50% of the COVID deaths recorded in the Harishchandra crematorium made it to the official bulletin released by the Yogi government.

The situation is so bad in Modi’s constituency that two days ago, a resident of Jaunpur, Vinay Singh, who was suffering from a kidney ailment, died in an auto rickshaw right in front of his mother. He was denied admission for treatment by Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as well as by private hospitals.

National Herald had reported on April 17 how big private hospitals in Uttar Pradesh are not responding to calls made by desperate patients.