The Tribune Impact: Kin forced to carry body over sewage, Human Rights Commission panel seeks report from MC Sangrur

Taking suo motu cognisance of a Tribune report titled “Amid civic neglect in Sangrur, kin forced to carry body over sewage” appeared in these columns of The Tribune on Sunday, the Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has today sought a report from the Executive Officer (EO) of the Municipal Council, Sangrur.

The Commission, comprising Chairperson Justice Sant Parkash and Member Justice Gurbir Singh, noted that the incident – where the family of retired Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) DSP Ranbir Singh Sidhu had to place wooden planks across a sewage-filled street in Ramnagar Basti here to carry his body to the cremation ground – reflected serious civic apathy.

The panel has directed the Executive Officer to submit a detailed report a week before the next hearing, scheduled for December 9.

While talking to The Tribune, the deceased’s daughter Kamalpreet Kaur had said, “My father died of dengue on October 28, and we brought his body home by walking over wooden planks placed on the sewage. We requested officials to clear the water so that we could take him to the cremation ground easily, but no one acted. Finally, we again had to walk on wooden planks over the sewage to carry his body out of the street for the cremation ground. Now we have started the ‘akhand path’ at home, and we even had to bring the Guru Granth Sahib by walking through the same sewage water.”

Notably, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has his private residence in Sangrur, but the town has been struggling with poor sanitation for some time.

Further, as many as 10 municipal councillors had even recently withdrawn their support to AAP’s MC president Bhupinder Singh Nahal over the cleanliness issue.