One grave, 378 bodies

The graveyard in Colachel [in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu] was full. The locals had just buried 378 people. All in one grave.

The bodies were first removed from their watery grave and taken to the general hospital, where they were identified. Relatives did not claim the bodies. It was left to volunteers to do the needful.

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The police gave each body a token number, which was tied to the wrist. The staff at the graveyard checked each token before putting the body in its final resting place.

There were no priests performing rituals. There were no sons lighting the funeral pyres. There were no mourning relatives. Just the grave-diggers and the grave-fillers.

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Though the bodies were put in a single grave, they were not buried en masse. Each body was put inside the grave and fully covered with earth before the the next one was lowered. So each body did have its own space.

When the grave was filled to capacity, the remaining bodies were taken to a graveyard in Kottilpadu, which is 2km away.

But there was no professional staff to bury the bodies. Instead, two young volunteers wearing masks and gloves did the job.

"The police told us to bury only those bodies that had token numbers on them. We are doing just that," they said.

As a precaution, they had taken a tetanus shot at the government hospital.

At the graveyard, 26 bodies were buried in one pit. In a nearby pit there were only three bodies. Thirty more bodies could be buried in it. After that, the bodies brought to the graveyard would have to be taken somewhere else for burial.

It is not as if the process of getting the bodies buried is smooth.

The police allow the bodies to be taken to the graveyard only after they are claimed.

Eighteen bodies were lying in the hospital for the last two days, as no one had claimed them. On Monday, when volunteers offered to bury them, the police refused. On Tuesday, the bodies had bloated beyond shape and were stinking.

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The doctors tried talking to the police, but could not convince them to let the volunteers bury the bodies.

Finally, parish priest Father Stanley took the initiative. He took full responsibility for the deceased, in writing, and authorised the police to dispose off the bodies.

Only then did the police relent. The bodies were then carried to waiting ambulances and taken away.

Also, unidentified bodies are supposed to be photographed before burial. But, no such thing happened. The doctors said they were only supposed to get the bodies identified. The police are supposed to arrange for a photographer. However, the men in khaki refused to do so.

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The relatives of those who were not identified will never know what happened to their dear ones. Thanks to the apathy of the police in Colachel.