A shocking video of canines scouting the riverbanks for the bodies of humans as food has emerged. The video is reportedly taken at the Kedar Ghat, along Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, reported Telegraph India.
The images show how severe the COVID-19 situation is in the country, with the pandemic in India taking a significant toll on their lives.
The sheer volume of corpses seems to overwhelm those tasked with disposing of the bodies.
Dogs eat remains they can get to
Residents believe that the bodies are dumped upstream into the river. This particular part of the Bhagirathi banks is a tributary of the Ganges River.
Increased water levels of the river due to rainfall caused the bodies to gather on the sandbank, exposing them to stray dogs.
Street dogs get attracted to the river banks
The smell of decomposition is thought to attract the dogs. They pull out the bodies from the water for food.
Last Monday, concerned residents said to reporters that the matter was forwarded to local officials and that they demand action. One priest, who wanted anonymity, said their leaders were not worried about what is happening in the area.
Seeing the dogs feed on the bodies of people indicates a more significant problem.
"Several half-burnt remains were seen on the ghat getting consumed by dogs," Ramesh Semwal, chairman of the Nagar Palike, told journalists noted in the Hindustan Times. "After final rituals are performed, we've appointed a sadhu who lives on the ghat to keep the area clean."
He seems to suggest that the bodies had been cremated mainly in the place, instead of floating down from someplace. He did not say why the remains were half-burned or how the sadhu intended to "clear the area" of these bodies.
Death overwhelms Indian states
Dozens of bodies have been deposited on the rivers floating downstream from Uttar Pradesh and other provinces.
The suspected reason behind this method of disposal is the rising deaths from the pandemic, leading to an increased demand for cremation space and firewood.
Another reason is how expensive funerals are. Those who cannot afford a proper burial bury their dead on the riverbanks.
In the last 24 hours, locals of Unnao and Fatehpur, in both Uttar Pradesh, have claimed sighting at least three dozen to six bodies floating in the Ganges River, respectively.
According to Fatehpur sub-divisional magistrate Pramod Jha, who said in NDTV, "In the river, some bodies were found. They were hauled out of the river and cremated."
On Sunday morning, Jha stated that he was notified about the remains floating in the river and a search effort was conducted. He said six decaying remains were found in the river.
Several doctors conducted the last rites at Bhitora Ganga Ghat later that same day.
Tirath Singh Rawat and Yogi Adityanath, the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, have not said anything of the floating bodies but declared that the Covid crisis in their states is "almost within control."
Related article: India Mass Burial Site of COVID-19 Victims Along Ganges River Revealed by Drone Video
