Lucknow, 26 Sept: The Uttar Pradesh government developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the dignified cremation of remains of people murdered in criminal acts or accidents, and anybody who places a body in a public space or road would face prosecution for disrespecting the deceased. It will be notified as soon as possible.
The new SOPs were prepared on the orders of the Allahabad High Court, which had directed the State government to do so following the outrage during the cremation of the Hathras rape victim in the middle of the night in September 2020, when district officials secretly cremated the victim’s body without the victim’s family’s consent. Later, the family claimed that the police had trapped them in their home during the investigation.
The High Court also ordered the government to educate officials on the importance of following due process.
According to the proposal, after the family of the victim/deceased were handed the dead corpse following the post-mortem, they had to sign a document stating that the body would be carried immediately to their home and then buried/last rites. If the deceased’s relatives refused to collect or accept the body, the district magistrate would decide on cremation in collaboration with the local people. If the cremation took place at night, the deceased’s relatives would have to obtain written consent, and the entire operation would be videographed.
If the cremation took place at night, the deceased’s relatives would have to obtain written consent, and the entire process would be videotaped. According to the new SOP, all communication between the victim’s family and the administration would be kept as a record for one year.
