Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh – In a heart-wrenching incident from Nautanwa town, three children were left wandering with their father’s body, desperately seeking help for his last rites. With no support from relatives or neighbors, the children were forced to carry the corpse on a cart, moving from place to place in search of compassion.
The deceased, 40-year-old Lavkumar, had been living alone after his wife’s passing. His two sons and a daughter lived separately with their grandmother. Struggling with illness, Lavkumar had returned from the hospital only weeks before he breathed his last.
When the time came for his cremation, the children approached locals and relatives for help but were turned away. Even at the cremation ground, they were redirected to a Muslim graveyard, where the burial was refused on religious grounds. Helpless, the children roamed the streets with the body, pleading for support.
It was then that local citizens, Rashid Qureshi and his relative Waris Qureshi, stepped in. In the presence of ward member Rashid, arrangements for wood were made and, late into the night, Lavkumar was given a dignified cremation according to Hindu traditions. Rashid later said, “Religion comes after humanity. Watching children cry beside their father’s corpse and doing nothing would have been a crime.”
By the time help arrived, the body had deteriorated from hours of neglect. Residents recalled how people hesitated to go near, leaving the children in tears and isolation.
District authorities responded only after the incident gained attention. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Naveen Kumar visited the site with his team, extending immediate financial aid and ration support to the children. He confirmed that the siblings, now orphaned, have been included in the Bal Seva Yojana, under which each child will receive ₹5,000 per month once their bank accounts are opened. Their education is also being arranged by the administration.
Officials admitted they had no prior knowledge of Lavkumar’s death due to his isolated living conditions, which delayed their intervention.
This tragic yet inspiring episode has highlighted not only the plight of abandoned children but also the triumph of humanity across religious boundaries, where strangers stepped forward when even close kin turned away.
