Balasore, May 27: In a heartbreaking incident linked to a land dispute, the sons of a deceased woman allegedly refused to carry their mother’s body for the last rites in Odisha’s Balasore district. The incident was reported from Lokanathpur village under Santoshpur Panchayat in Basta police limits, where police personnel finally stepped in and performed the cremation after nearly 10 hours.

According to sources, Tulasi Das, wife of late Bansidhar Das, passed away around 10:25 am on Tuesday. She is survived by three sons. While the eldest son has reportedly been missing for a long time, the middle son had died recently. Tulasi had been staying with her youngest son, Rakesh Das, following the death of her husband.

However, a long-standing land dispute and family feud triggered tension over the funeral arrangements. Rakesh wanted to conduct the last rites at the riverbank cremation ground, while other family members insisted on performing the cremation on the family property. The disagreement soon escalated into a major dispute.

Locals allegedly did not come forward to help carry the body, leaving the deceased lying at home for hours. Despite her death in the morning, the body remained unattended till around 8 pm.

On receiving information, Basta police and Amarda Road outpost officer Bijay Kumar Barik reached the village and attempted to mediate between the family members. As the dispute remained unresolved, the police personnel themselves carried the body and conducted the cremation at Odiyapada sand ghat on the banks of the Subarnarekha River, nearly two kilometres from the village.