Parents refuse to accept son’s body over social boycott fear in Odisha’s Bolangir

In a disturbing incident reflecting deep-rooted social stigma, elderly parents in Odisha’s Bolangir district refused to accept the body of their deceased son, allegedly fearing social boycott by members of their caste community. The last rites were later performed by volunteers on Monday.

The incident was reported from Jarasingha village under Deogaon police limits in Bolangir district.

Body Recovered from Railway Track

The severed body of Bhagabat, son of Fazal Bag, was recovered from a railway track. After conducting a post-mortem examination, the Government Railway Police (GRP) informed the family and asked them to take custody of the body for the final rites.

However, despite being notified, the deceased’s father declined to receive the body.

Fear of Social Ostracism

According to reports, the parents feared social ostracism from their caste community as individuals belonging to another caste had reportedly touched the body after it was recovered. Apprehending a possible social boycott, both the father and mother refused to accept their son’s body.

With the family unwilling to perform the last rites, volunteers stepped forward and carried out the cremation in Bolangir. The elderly parents neither attended the cremation nor had a final glimpse of their son.

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The incident has drawn attention to the persistence of caste-based social pressures in certain rural pockets, even in deeply sensitive matters such as funeral rites.