Nepalis’ funeral rites in India

Nepalis are generally cremated in their own motherland regardless of where they breathe their last. Families prefer to perform funeral rites in Nepal, even if their loved ones pass away on foreign soil. But residents of Mechinagar-6 and 7 in the south-eastern district of Jhapa have been performing funeral rites in Indian land across the Mechi River. 

“There is no proper place to perform funerals rites in Nepali territory. So residents have to tolerate condescending behavior from the Indians,” says Rajesh Basnet, a local of Mechinagar-7. “Earlier, the site was in Nepali territory. In 1995, after Nepali and Indian officials carried out land surveys, the area was declared Indian territory. Since then, we have been performing funeral rites in Indian land. The crematorium couldn’t be shifted just because the land was now in India,” he adds.

The place where people performing the funeral rites stay is in Nepal, but the one where the dead body is kept is in India. During the Indian blockade of 2015-16, Indian authorities used to tell Nepalis to perform funeral rites on the Nepali side of the river. But the problem is more manageable now, according to Basnet.

Bhadrapur (in Nepal) and Galgaliya (in India) are separated by the Mechi River. Although most areas through which the river flows lie in Nepal, the river also touches Indian land at many points. Funeral rites are performed five meters away from the Mechi Bridge at a site that falls on Indian soil.

“Currently, the bodies are cremated on the Indian side of the river and there has not been any objection from them,” says Sarin Gupta, a local. “Indian officials come here for inspection when they see smoke billowing from the cremation pyres. If they objected to this, we would have no place to perform funeral rites.”

Locals complain that elected representatives of Bhadrapur municipality have not paid attention to this matter. During elections, however, politicians promise to build a funeral home. Locals accuse the municipality of abusing the budget allocated for a crematorium. Says Shrawan Rauniyar, another local, “If a crematorium is constructed on the Nepali side of the river, we won’t have to worry about what the Indians might say. And Nepalis could be cremated in their own land.”

Ward chief Bandhu Karki says she has raised this issue in the municipality board meeting several times. She says, “The mayor says crematoria should not be built in multiple places, instead the existing Deuniya crematorium should be managed properly. The oldest place to perform funeral rites is on the banks of the Mechi River.”

Karki adds that the municipality has no plans to construct a crematorium, but that the ward will take an initiative to this end. She fears failure to construct a crematorium now could lead to problems in the future.

Tulsi Bahadur Shrestha, administrative head at the municipal office, says funeral homes are being built on the banks of Deuniya River in wards 2 and 7 of Bhadrapur. “Currently, the municipality has no plans to build one on the banks of the Mechi River.” he adds. “This issue should not be taken lightly.”

The situation is similar in the Kachankawal rural municipality. “The Indian police tell us to shift the crematorium to Nepal,” says Santosh Kurmi, a local. “But we go to the Indian side for performing the funeral rites as the Nepali side has less water.”