In a heart-rending incident from Odisha’s Balasore district, police personnel performed the last rites of an elderly woman after a dispute between her sons allegedly left her body lying unattended for nearly 10 hours.

The incident was reported from Lokanathpur village under the jurisdiction of Basta Police Station.

According to reports, the deceased woman, identified as Tulasi Das, passed away on Tuesday morning.

Family Dispute Delays Funeral Rituals

Sources said Tulasi Das had three sons. While her eldest son has reportedly been missing for a long period, she had been residing with her younger son in the village.

Following her death at around 10 AM, a dispute allegedly erupted between the middle and younger sons over who would perform the final rites.

As the disagreement escalated, no family member reportedly came forward to conduct the cremation. The woman’s body remained lying on the veranda of the house until nearly 9 PM, drawing concern among local residents.

Police Step In After Receiving Information

After being informed about the incident in the evening, police personnel from the Amarda Road Outpost rushed to the village.

Upon reaching the spot, police found that none of the family members were willing to perform the funeral rituals.

With no one stepping forward to take responsibility, the police personnel decided to conduct the last rites themselves.

Officer-in-Charge Bijay Kumar said, “The woman died on Tuesday morning at 10 AM. We received information that due to a dispute between brothers, the body was lying unattended outside the house. Since no one was ready to perform the last rites, we were bound to do it.”

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Police Carry Body on Shoulders

In a gesture widely seen as an act of humanity, police personnel carried the elderly woman’s body on their shoulders and took it for cremation.

The last rites were later performed on the banks of the Subarnarekha River