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Dogs, vultures feeding on bodies of tribesmen lynched by villagers

PATNA: Eight decomposed bodies of nomadic tribesmen lynched by the Delhpurwa villagers in Vaishali district on Thursday surfaced on the marshy banks of the Ganga near the Konhara ghat on Sunday. Dogs and vultures were feeding on them. The bodies have not yet been retrieved, as the swamp is not easily accessible.

Ten persons were beaten to death when they reportedly tried to commit theft.

For 72 hours the Bihar government was not aware that the bodies had been thrown into the river instead of being cremated.

A three-member team comprising district welfare officer S.B. Mathur and the officers-in-charge of Rajapakar and town police stations Vibha Kumari and R.K. Singh was entrusted with the cremation after it was decided not to hand over the bodies to the relatives on grounds of law and order. After a hasty autopsy and identification of the bodies by relatives, the civil-cum-police team disposed of the bodies in the river in violation of police norms. Funds are normally provided to all districts to cremate unclaimed bodies.

District officials on Saturday told the chairman of the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Balkrishna Sidram Renke, and its members that the bodies were cremated. He is expected to submit his report to the Prime Minister shortly.

Mr. Renke was probing whether there were any registered cases against the deceased and whether they were habitual offenders found guilty by any court. Their relatives maintained that they earned their living collecting honey.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level meeting at which he warned civil and police officials against failing in their duty. All the male members of the Delhpurwa village have fled fearing police reprisal after the incident. Only women and children remain and their security is becoming a cause for concern.

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