Denied road access for burial, protesters threaten to bury body at DC office in Karnataka

Residents of Enagi village in Savadatti taluk staged a protest with the body of a deceased person in the premises of the Deputy Commissioner's office on Monday after being denied road access to the burial ground. They threatened to bury the body in the premises of the Deputy Commissioner's office.

The protest was withdrawn after Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil assured them that the road would be made available.

Abdul Khader Mishrikoti (65), a resident of Enagi, had passed away and the farmers denied road access through their lands to the burial ground. The residents protested by bringing the body to the premises of the Deputy Commissioner's office. Earlier pleas to officials had not yielded any results.

Ibrahim, who was leading the protest, said, "We do not have road access to the burial ground and when anybody dies, we have to approach the police. Though the officials would then make the roads accessible, the situation returns to the same as before. Hence we want a solution to the problem. It's the problem of all communities whose burial and cremation grounds lie beyond the agricultural lands. If road access to burial grounds is not made available, we shall bury the body in the premises of the Deputy Commissioner's office."

Verbal exchanges were witnessed between police officials and protestors after the body was brought to the Deputy Commissioner's office premises.

Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil arrived at the spot and assured that he would resolve the issue by visiting the village on Wednesday. "We shall get the last rites of the deceased done today in the presence of Assistant Commissioner and Tahsildar," he said.

"Efforts will be made to convince the farmers to give road access to burial lands and if that is not realised, we shall acquire the lands required,'' he added.