Two Bodies Found In Madhya Pradesh River, Official Negates Covid

A senior administration official of the area said the bodies were of locals, one of whom died of cancer and another of old age.

The human tragedy amid the second wave of Covid - that of bodies being dumped in rivers instead of being given a funeral -- has now reached Madhya Pradesh. Two bodies were seen on the banks of Runj river in Panna district of the state on Tuesday. A senior administration official of the area, however, said the bodies were of locals, one of whom died of cancer and another of old age. The residents alleged that four to five bodies have been found in the Runj river, which acts as drinking water source for cattle in the village. "We fear an epidemic might break in our village due to these bodies which have been floating in the river since the last five to six days," a resident said.The Panna district collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra, however, said just two bodies, and not four to five bodies, were there. "One body was of a 95-year-old villager. Another was of a cancer patient, Both are from Nandanpur village. The village sarpanch has told us that both bodies were immersed and not cremated in the river as part of a long-standing tradition Both bodies were retrieved on Tuesday and were buried safely." Over the last two days, scores of bodies had washed up on the banks of river Ganga in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It is suspected that the bodies are that of Covid patients.