Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Chaos erupted between two families after the ashes of a deceased were mistakenly taken by another family in Indore on Saturday.
The incident took place at Pachkuiya Muktidham in Indore on Saturday due to a token number mix-up at the cremation ground.
The incident involved the family of Madanlal Vishwakarma, a 55-year-old resident of Gaurishankar Nagar. He had been ill for some time and passed away on Friday. His last rites were performed at Pachkuiya Muktidham the same day.
According to family members, a priest had advised them to collect the ashes on Saturday instead of Sunday. When the family reached the cremation ground to collect the ashes, they could not find them at the place where the cremation had taken place. This left the family shocked and worried.
A relative, Mukesh Sharma, said they asked the staff present at the cremation ground, but the workers said they had no information about the missing ashes. The family also alleged that some staff members on duty appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. As confusion increased, the family members protested at the cremation ground.
Later, when officials checked the register, they found that three families had been given the same token number, 13, by mistake. Because of this error, another family had taken Vishwakarma’s ashes thinking they belonged to their relative.
The other family belonged to Sunil Choubey, a 65-year-old resident of Nagin Nagar who had died on March 5 after suffering from paralysis. His son Ajay had also come to collect the ashes on Saturday morning and was told by staff to collect them from a particular place.
They collected the ashes and left for Khedi Ghat for immersion.
However, around 11 am they received a call from the cremation ground informing them about the mistake. The family immediately returned to Pachkuiya Muktidham and handed over the ashes to the Vishwakarma family about three hours later.
After receiving them, the Vishwakarma family left for the immersion ceremony.
Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotiya said that legal action will be taken if a formal complaint is filed.
Meanwhile, Vaibhav Baheti, president of the Pachkuiya Moksha Vikas Samiti, expressed regret over the incident and said the mistake happened due to human error when a staff member issued token number 13 instead of 12.
He said the employee has been warned to ensure such mistakes do not happen again.
