CM immerses ashes after sunset, triggers controversy

Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 27

Chief Minister Harish Rawat along with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel immersed the ashes of the skeletal remains found around the Kedarnath shrine route, in the Ganga at Har-ki-Pauri late last evening. The SDRF personnel had cremated the skeletons in the Kedar valley and brought the ashes for immersion in the Ganga.

This has angered teerth purohits who are resenting the immersion of ashes after the sunset, as it is against the Hindu customs of last rites and is considered a bad omen as well. Many of them say the Chief Minister immersed the ashes after the sunset to gain electoral mileage in the Assembly elections scheduled early next year.

Yuva Teerth Purohit Maha Sabha president Ujjwal Pundit has also criticised the Chief Minister for immersing ashes after the sunset. “This is against traditions being observed and followed by Hindus for centuries. The Chief Minister is expected to know and follow these norms. If the Chief Minister is ignorant it is unfortunate. He has many teerth purohits, who are politicians, in his government and the district party organisation. They could have advised him or objected to the immersion of ashes after the sunset but no Congress leader present there did so,” said Ujjwal.

Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti president Sanjay Chopra has termed the incident as violation of ancient traditional customs. He sought an apology from the Chief Minister. He said it was shameful that skeletons were still being found in the Kedar valley even after three and half years of the natural disaster of 2013.

“The Congress government did not carry out any sincere search operations to track or trace people who lost their lives or who went uphill from the normal route in the Kedar valley. It was only when a trekking expedition team found skeletons on the Kedarnath track route that the state government ordered fresh search operations. Is this not a serious issue? The Chief Minister is busy trying to gain mileage out of it,” said Chopra.

Congress Haridwar Mahanagar president Anshul Shrikunj said a section of teerth purohits was creating undue fuss on the issue. “Harish Rawat had arrived at Har-ki-Pauri in time but as there is Ganga aarti at the sanctum sanctorum every evening, some delay had occurred. The Chief Minister’s noble intentions of providing salvation to the souls of the deceased should be lauded. But the BJP is trying to divert attention of the people from this sensitive issue. People are appreciating the state government’s initiative to launch search operations post-Divali festive too. IGP Garhwal Sanjay Gunjyal and SDRF Commandant Jagat Ram Joshi will lead these operations,” said Shrikunj.