Man’s burial delayed by 27 hrs following dispute over final resting place

Koraput: A 65-year-old tribal man’s body lay unburied for nearly 27 hours in a village in Rayagada district after a dispute erupted over his final resting place, with villagers objecting to his burial at the community’s only cremation ground because he had embraced Christianity five years ago.

The deadlock ended on Friday morning when the bereaved family and villagers reached a consensus to perform the last rites on a nearby govt plot.Sources said the deceased, Jakaka Dam, 65, of Gajigaon village under Rayagada block, died around 7 am on Thursday. Soon after his death, the family prepared to bury him at the village’s lone cremation ground. However, villagers opposed the move, arguing that the site was meant exclusively for the tribal community’s traditional funeral rites, where bodies are cremated and not buried.After prolonged discussions on Friday morning, the family agreed to conduct the burial on a govt plot. Dam was finally laid to rest around 10 am in the presence of his wife, Male Jakaka, sons Surya Jakaka, Sundar Rao Jakaka and Monoj Jakaka, besides other relatives. Villagers were also present during the burial.The village reportedly has four to five tribal families who have converted to Christianity. Despite the dispute, neither the deceased’s family nor the villagers filed any complaint with the police.

“The matter came to our notice after reports surfaced, and police visited the village. However, no complaint has been received from either side. Since the issue was resolved amicably through discussions between the family and the villagers, no case has been registered,” said SDPO (Rayagada) Gaurahari Sahu.The prolonged delay also disrupted village life. According to local custom, no household cooks food after a villager dies until the last rites are completed. As the funeral remained stalled, many residents reportedly went without cooked food for several hours before the burial.