Boudh: A day after a man of Krushnapali under Brahmanpali panchayat in this district was forced to carry the body of his sister-in-law on a bicycle for cremation due to social ostracisation, the district administration came to his rescue Thursday.
Block development officer Nihar Ranjan Kanhar of Boudh met Chaturbhuja Banka at the district headquarters hospital and gave him Rs 10,000 as financial assistance from the District Red Cross Fund.
Chaturbhuja, expelled from his community, had to carry the body of his sister-in-law Pancha Mahakur on a bicycle for cremation as none turned up to help him in the village Wednesday.
The BDO enquired about the incident from Chaturbhuja and the health condition of his wife, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital, while giving away the financial assistance.
Earlier, the panchayat authorities had given Chaturbhuja Rs 2,000 under the Harishchandra Yojana after the issue went viral on social media.
The incident drew flak from various quarters over the inhuman treatment meted to a man by his fellow villagers.
Pancha, a native of Sukapali village, died at the district headquarters hospital while undergoing treatment for diarrhoea Wednesday. Chaturbhuja was ostracised by his kin and the villagers after he gave shelter to his sister-in-law in his house after the death of all his in-laws.
She was admitted to the hospital along with Chaturbhuja’s wife Beda Banka after being afflicted with diarrhoea Tuesday. Chaturbhuja, after completing necessary formalities in the hospital, brought the body back to his village in a hearse and pleaded with the village ward member and other villagers to help him cremate the body.
However, he was left frustrated as none responded to his pleas. Left with no option, he tied the body to a bicycle and carried it to the cremation ground where he buried the body with the help of his daughter.
According to Chaturbhuja, he provided shelter to his sister-in-law out of humanitarian concern as there was no one left in his in-law’s family. However, this infuriated his kin, neighbours and fellow villagers who ostracised him.
