Jaunpur: Gorakhpur resident Shobha Devi, who was living in an old age home in the district, died due to illness, but a scene even more tragic than her death was seen when the people of the old age home contacted her family. Shobha Devi’s elder son told the ashram to keep his mother’s body in the deep freezer for four days, because there was a wedding in the house and the arrival of the body would be a bad omen. Hearing this, the ashram operator and the people present there were surprised.
When other relatives of the family got information, they requested to send the body to Gorakhpur. The people of the ashram somehow made arrangements and sent the body to Gorakhpur, but even after reaching there, the matter became more complicated. Instead of cremating, the elder son of the family buried the body in the ground. According to Shobha Devi’s husband Bhual Gupta, the son said that after four days of marriage, the body will be taken out from the soil and cremated. Bhual’s sorrow is that his heart trembles just thinking what will be the condition of the dead body after so many days.
Father was forced to commit suicide
Bhual Gupta is a resident of Bharoiya village of Gorakhpur and once used to do grocery business. He has three sons and three daughters. All the children are married. About a year ago, after a family dispute, the elder son threw his parents out of the house. After becoming homeless, Bhual became depressed and reached Rajghat with the intention of committing suicide. The people present there explained to him that he should go to Ayodhya or Mathura, where there are facilities for accommodation and food for the elderly.
When he did not get any support in Ayodhya, he reached Mathura. There some people told him the address of the old age home in Jaunpur. Seeing his condition, ashram director Ravi Kumar Choubey gave him shelter in his ashram. A few months ago, Shobha Devi had a serious leg problem, which was being treated in a private hospital.
Son buried mother’s body
On November 19, Shobha Devi’s health suddenly deteriorated and she died during treatment. Husband Bhual called his younger son and gave this sad news. The younger son put the matter on the elder brother. After some time he replied that due to marriage the body could not be brought home immediately, hence it should be kept in the freezer for four days. Ravi Choubey also talked to his son, but he repeated the same answer.
When the relatives got information about the death, they agreed to bring the body to Gorakhpur for the last rites, but even after reaching there, the body was buried instead of cremated. Bhual Gupta’s pain is that such neglect by parents towards their own children can shatter the heart of any family.
Sons did not support in the last moments
Ashram director Ravi Chaubey says that only the younger son of the house used to talk to Shobha Devi and Bhual occasionally, but no member of the family used to come to meet them. The kind of behavior that came to light after the death left everyone sad and shocked. This incident brings out the bitter truth of the changing social behavior towards the elderly, where the same children whom the parents brought up, stepped back from fulfilling their responsibilities in their last moments.
