With no money, ragpicker carries wife’s body on shoulder, wrapped in plastic

CHAMARAJANAGAR: A ragpicker, who had no money on him, carried his dead wife wrapped in a plastic gunny bag on his shoulder to perform the final rites. The deceased woman was identified as Kalamma (26) from Kagepura village in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district. Her husband is Ravi too hails from Malavalli taluk.

The couple was into picking plastic waste and went around different villages. Kalamma came to Yelandur last week and stayed on a vacant site near a school. Ravi joined her a couple of days ago. On Tuesday, Kalamma died suddenly due to ill-health.

Villagers of Yelandur spotted Ravi while carrying his wife’s body on his shoulder in a plastic bag.

With no money to perform her funeral rites and not knowing what to do, Ravi wrapped his wife’s body and carried her on his shoulder to Yelanduru town. Some locals, who got suspicious and informed the police.

He then told them that he was carrying his wife’s body and that she died on Tuesday. He also said that he would beg and raise money  to perform her funeral rites.

The police, who arrived at the scene, questioned Ravi  and later shifted Kalamma’s body to the Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) for post-mortem.

Ravi said he was carrying her body on his shoulder to collect money from people to perform final rites.

Ravi told reporters, “I am poor and I am worried for our young children at home. We have no relatives to seek help. I do not have even a single penny in my pocket to spend for her last rites. She left me behind a week ago and came to Yelandur. When I came here, she died without proper food and water. I thought I would beg and collect some money for final ritual. But the villagers stopped me when I was carrying her body on my shoulder”, he added.