With no burial ground, villagers threaten to cremate dead man in front of GP office

BAGALKOT: Villagers of Kerakalamatti village in Badami taluk on Saturday threatened to cremate a dead man right in front of the gram panchayat office, angered by non-allocation of land for a proper burial site.

Villagers complained that for several years now, they don’t have a proper burial ground and several representations have fallen on deaf ears. Except for those who own land, it has become difficult to bury or cremate others who die, they said.

The villagers also staged a protest.

Following the death of Kalappa Kambar, a resident of the village, locals came to the gram panchayat office with the body and even brought along a tractor-load of firewood for the cremation.

The villagers brought the body of Kalappa Kambar to the GP office for conducting the last rites.

Since the deceased did not own any land, they questioned where his last rites should be conducted and threatened to perform it in front of the GP office itself.