Sai Krishna case flags lack of CCTVs at crematoriums in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: As police intensify their investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Sai Krishna, the Krishnalanka crematorium has emerged as a key focus area in the probe. In a startling revelation, it has come to light that the Krishnalanka crematorium, the largest cremation facility in Vijayawada, is not equipped with CCTV cameras.More alarmingly, none of the crematoriums in the city has CCTV surveillance systems, raising serious concerns over security, accountability, and monitoring at these facilities. The absence of surveillance infrastructure has sparked questions about how such critical public spaces continue to operate without basic safety measures in place.The city has electric crematoriums at Krishnalanka, Ajit Singh Nagar, and Ramalingeswara Nagar.The issue came to light when a police team investigating Sai Krishna’s disappearance visited Krishna Lanka Swargapuri to verify records of bodies cremated on May 23 and 24. However, the police were unable to obtain electronic footage from the facility as it lacked CCTV cameras, despite dozens of bodies being cremated there every day.“Six months ago, a clash broke out between two groups on the Swargapuri premises over the cremation of a body.

Following the incident, Swargapuri staff requested the concerned authorities to install four CCTV cameras. However, the cameras were never installed,” a staff member at Krishnalanka Swargapuri said.The civic body personnel recently installed four CCTV cameras at the Krishnalanka crematorium, but no connection has been provided so far, and the cameras remain non-functional.“Not just CCTV cameras, crematoriums and burial grounds across the city also lack basic amenities such as changing rooms and toilets, which are required for people to perform mandatory post-cremation rituals.

Moreover, many crematoriums do not have proper shelters over the cremation areas, often leading to funeral pyres being disrupted during rains,” CPM leader Babu Rao said.Babu Rao said that the facilities available at the Krishnalanka crematorium are comparatively better than those at the AS Nagar and Ramalingeswara Nagar crematoriums and other burial grounds. He pointed out that many burial grounds have inadequate space for burying bodies. The CPM leader alleged that the maintenance of crematoriums and burial grounds is a statutory responsibility of the civic body, but the municipality is more focused on tax collection than on ensuring basic amenities at these facilities across the city.