Buldhana: The 24 victims of the Vidarbha Travels bus, that met with a fiery mishap on the Samruddhi Highway, while travelling from Nagpur to Pune, were cremated in a mass cremation ceremony at a crematorium, in Buldhana on Sunday at 12.30 pm. Minister Girish Mahajan lit the funeral pyre.
On this occasion Minister Girish Mahajan, MPs Prataprao Jadhav, Ramdas Tadas, MLA Akash Fundkar, Shweta Mahale, Sanjay Gaikwad, Collector Dr HP Tummod, Chief Executive Officer Bhagyashree Vispute, District Superintendent of Police Sunil Kadasane and others were present.
As most of the victims were charred beyond recognition after the bus caught fire in the early hours of Saturday, efforts were made to convince their families for mass cremation of the bodies instead of their DNA analysis, the official said. The DNA testing is a lengthy procedure which may take days to ascertain the identity of the deceased, as per reports.
The mass cremation was held at Vaikunth Dham Hindu Smashan Bhoomi in Buldhana on Sunday. The mass cremation was organised after a discussion with relatives of all the deceased. After getting consent of the relatives, the funeral was conducted jointly by the district administration.
The deceased, who were cremated, were Tejas Pokale of Wardha, Karan Budhbawre of Wardha, Vrishali Vankar of Pune, Shobha Vankar of Pune, Ovi Vankar of Pune, Ishan Gupta of Nagpur, Sujal Sonawane of Yavatmal, Tanisha Prashant Taide of Wardha, Tejaswini Raut of Wardha, Kailas Gangawane of Pune, Kanchan Gangawane of Pune, Sai Gangawane of Pune, Sanjivani Shankarao Gote of Wardha, Sushil Khelkar of Wardha, Rhea Somkuwar of Nagpur, Kaustubh Kale of Nagpur, Rajshree Gandole of Wardha, Manisha Bahale of Washim, Sanjay Bahale of Washim, Radhika Mahesh Khadse of Wardha, Shreya Vivek Vanjari of Wardha, Prathamesh Prashant Khode of Wardha, Avanti Parimal Pohnekar of Wardha and Nikhil Pate of Yavatmal. Along with this the body of Zoya Sheikh of Nagpur, was burried following the appropriate rituals in Buldhana.
Only one woman’s body was kept separately for burial, after a relative of Zoya Shaikh ‘recognised’ her from her teeth. This body was handed over to her family, relaxing the norms of scientific identification that the district administration had cited while cajoling the remaining families to agree to the mass cremation.
District Collector HP Tummod said the cremation of 24 bodies was unprecedented, and aroused public curiosity. “The families of the deceased will be accommodated in Buldhana with all support till all the funeral rites are completed,” he said.
SP Kadasne said stringent section 304 of Indian Penal Code IPC for culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been invoked against driver Sheikh Danish.
