With no help in sight, woman spends entire night with husband’s body at Kushtia crematorium

A woman had to spend the entire night at a crematorium with her husband's body, as no one came forward to help cremate the body in Kushtia's Mirpur municipality.

Seventy-year-old Prafullya Karmakar was infected with Covid-19 and died at the Kushtia General Hospital last night.

His wife Kalpana Karmakar, was with him at the time while the rest of his family including his two sons, grandchildren and daughters-in-law were at home infected with Covid-19 themselves.

After Prafullya's death, an ambulance dropped off Kalpana at the crematorium along with the body but there was no one in sight to help her.

It was raining heavily at the time and the ambulance driver along with two of his assistants unloaded the body and had to return to the hospital because of their duties.

Prafullya's elder son Ananda Kumar called some of their relatives about the matter and informed the members of the cremation committee but no one responded.

As it was raining heavily, Kalpana had to leave the body at one point and take shelter in the verandah of Gopalpur Government Primary School next to the crematorium.

Despite waiting till this morning, no members of the cremation committee or any of their relatives showed up for the last rites.

 Zahidul Islam, a local councillor of Mirpur municipality, said he went to the spot after he was informed by Mirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Lincoln Biswas.

When I informed the matter to the UNO, he asked me to make the arrangements," Zahidul said.

Later, around 11am, some members of the local Muslim community assisted with the final rites, said the UNO.

The crematorium committee president Ananda Debnath told The Daily Star that since he is sick, he provided the crematorium keys to the deceased's son this morning after they called him at 3:00am about the matter but he does not know any further details about it.

Meanwhile, Prafullya's wife Kalpana is also Covid-19 affected.