Now Reading: Shahapur tribal hamlet cremates leader in open field amid rain
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Shahapur tribal hamlet cremates leader in open field amid rain
A cremation had to be performed in an open field under heavy rain in Umbharai village, Shahapur taluka, on Tuesday due to the lack of a designated cremation ground. Jayabai Mahadu Wagh,…
The Story in Brief
A cremation had to be performed in an open field under heavy rain in Umbharai village, Shahapur taluka, on Tuesday due to the lack of a designated cremation ground. Jayabai Mahadu Wagh, a gram panchayat committee member from the Katkari tribal settlement, was cremated as villagers held tarpaulins over the funeral pyre to prevent the rain from dousing the flames.
Residents said they had demanded a cremation ground for two years, and a tehsildar had inspected land but no facility was built. They also carried Wagh's body 1.5 km because of poor roads and no ambulance access. Villagers claim more than 250 villages and hamlets in Shahapur face similar issues with cremation facilities and basic infrastructure.
The Indian Opinion
The Anganwadi worker's funeral in an open field is not an isolated tragedy but a routine humiliation for 250-odd hamlets in Shahapur taluka. The easy narrative blames an indifferent administration, but the cat-and-mouse game with promises, land inspected two years ago, tehsildar's assurance, also exposes a structural bias against scattered, low-population tribal settlements. Basic civic planning still excludes Katkari hamlets. The real test is whether the gram panchayat now passes a resolution and allocates a specific plot for the cremation ground within 30 days.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
