Paikamal: A social activist who died at Salepali village under this block in Bargarh district Wednesday was cremated by the local MLA and villagers after his relatives and community members did not step in to perform his last rites.
Guna Mahar (65) died in the wee hours of Wednesday. However, none of his two married daughters, sons-in-law or other relatives turned up to perform his last rites due to a strained relationship.
Mahar is survived by two unmarried daughters and his wife. Mahar, an active worker of Balco movement, played an important role in a road blockade at Salepali which continued for over 18 days. The movement was put up by locals against BALCO’s `58 crore bauxite mining project on Gandhamardan hill in western Orissa.
Mahar, a tribal, had married thrice. He married a non-tribal after the death of his two wives. His two married daughters and relatives did not accept the third marriage following which they severed all ties with him and even refused to perform his last rites.
Mahar’s body was finally cremated after MLA Pradip Purohit, who was passing by, intervened.
Purohit came to know about Mahar’s death and reached his house where he was shocked to know about the refusal of his relatives and community members to conduct his cremation.
He consulted the villagers and performed the role of a pallbearer carrying the body to the cremation ground where villagers performed last rites
Villagers contributed money and rice to Mahar’s family to perform post-death rituals. PNN
