Jaipur: A 20-year-old man was cremated inside the premises of a government school in Rajasthan’s Dudu after a group of people allegedly broke open the school’s lock and entered the campus with his body on Sunday.
Guard Tries To Stop Group
The incident took place at Swami Vivekananda Government Model School in Dudu near Jaipur. School guard Jagdish Gurjar reportedly tried to stop the group, but they allegedly forced their way inside and performed the cremation near a tin shed behind the school building.
Police reached the spot after being informed, but around half of the body had already been cremated by then.
Community Claims Old Cremation Ground
The people involved in the cremation claimed that the land had earlier been used as a cremation ground by their community but was subsequently transferred to the school. However, school authorities have rejected the claim.
As per reports, Babu, son of Ramkaran Bagaria and a resident of Mal Ki Dhani, was killed on Sunday after a tractor hit him while he was walking home. Following his death, his family members and people from his community took his body to the government school and cremated him on the premises.
Lock Allegedly Broken Open
School principal Sarita Meena said many people entered the school around 2 pm with the body. “The guard tried to stop them, but they did not listen and broke open the lock to enter the premises,” she said. The cremation was subsequently carried out near the tin shed close to the rear entrance of the school.
Meena said children used the area for playing and claimed that the land had been officially recorded in the school’s name in 2008. “No cremation has taken place here for the last 18 years,” she said.
Police, Villagers Argue
The incident led to an argument between police personnel and villagers when officers reached the school after receiving information about the cremation.
Dudu SDM Gulab Singh Verma said the tehsildar had been directed to conduct an inquiry into the matter. He also said police had been instructed to take legal action against those who broke open the school lock and entered the premises.
Dudu Municipal Board councillor Avadhesh Sharma said cremations were carried out at a public place near a mortuary located around 200 meters from the school. He said there was no cremation ground on the school premises and that no revenue record supporting the claim was available.
Sharma said the land where the cremation was carried out is recorded in the name of the government model school and had earlier been used as gochar (pasture) land.
He alleged that an attempt was being made to enter and encroach upon government school land. “Such an act compromises the dignity of an educational institution and disrupts the academic environment. Activities of this nature are against the sanctity of the school premises and the law,” he said, adding that he would raise the matter in the municipal board meeting.
