Following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's instructions to prevent people from disposing of bodies into the rivers, police in several districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh have started patrolling the Ganga and villages located on it banks.
A number of bodies in semi-decomposed state were found floating in the Ganga in Ghazipur, Ballia and other districts recently, leading to suspicion that they could be of COVID-19 victims either abandoned or disposed off in the water due to financial constraints or waiting list at the cremation grounds.
In Ballia, on the border with Bihar, where the bodies were first sighted, police is patrolling the river on boats as well as carrying out regular patrols in villages, said Vipin Tada, Superintendent of Police, Ballia.
Nine teams from five police stations along the Ganga have been deployed for the patrolling, he said.
71 bodies of suspected COVID victims retrieved from Ganga, buried in Bihar
"We appeal to people that if they face any problems or are unable to create the body and require financial assistance, they can take help from police or administration," the SP said.
Police teams were also visiting villages to build awareness about the issue, he added.
In Ghazipur, the district administration, while appealing people to refrain from disposing bodies in the river, announced that it would provide financial assistance of ₹5,000 to those unable to bear expenses of cremation.
In Varanasi, too, police patrolled the Ganga on boats.
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