A heart-wrenching image has emerged from Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district, showing two children desperately seeking help on the streets with their father's body on a cart. The two brothers were left to deal with the tragedy alone; their mother had left them earlier, and their relatives refused to help at their hour of grief.
A day after their father died after a long illness, 14-year-old Rajveer decided to set out with his body on a cart, believing they would get some help at the Ghat. Barely a teenager, he was unaware of how the last rites are held, and that led to more confusion.
They first reached a crematorium, but no help awaited them there. They were left more puzzled by the customs and technicalities. The children were asked to arrange wood if they wanted to cremate their father. Disappointed, they went to a cemetery for Muslims, where they were told the obvious: they are Hindus and their father's last rites must be conducted at the crematorium for Hindus.
"Everyone came and saw, but no one helped. The next day, we mustered courage, we took the body to the Ghat, but we were told, 'bodies are not buried here'. We were told to go to a Muslim burial ground. But we were chased away from there," said Rajveer.
Left directionless, the brothers broke down, almost on the cusp of losing hope. They eventually stopped at a road intersection and started begging so that they could buy the wood. As painful as this imagery may sound, the reality was worse. Barely anyone turned around, even for a glimpse.
But that's when help appeared in the guise of two strangers.
Rashid and Waris Qureshi couldn't help but approach the children. Apprised of their tragedy, the two men decided to help without thinking about their religious differences. They not only arranged the money but also helped them with the process of the last rites.
Narrating their ordeal, Rashid Qureshi said that the body had started decomposing, and people were staying away from it due to the stench.
"I had received a phone call that some children and women were seeking help with a body, but everyone was chasing them away. The body had swollen. It was smelling bad. People were not going near it," he said.
(With inputs from Vinod Dwivedi)
