NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of the reported cremation of a man’s body by GRP in Agra, Uttar Pradesh after family members fail to turn up from Giridih, Jharkhand
NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of the reported cremation of a man’s body by GRP in Agra, Uttar Pradesh after family members fail to turn up from Giridih, Jharkhand
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a man, found dead in a general compartment of a train at a railway station in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, was cremated amidst counter claims, with the Government Railway Police (GRP) saying that the family refused to identify the body and receive it and the family maintaining that they could not reach Agra from Giridih, Jharkhand in just a day to receive his body. Later, the family performed the last rites with his effigy.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.
Issuing the notices, the Commission referred to its Advisory- 2021 for protecting the rights of the dead by upholding their dignity. It emphasised that the right to life, fair treatment and dignity, derived from Article 21 of the Constitution of India, extends not only to living persons but also to their dead bodies.
According to the media report, carried on 14th August, 2025, the family claimed that the police called and informed about the death and gave one day to collect the body before it was sent for post-mortem and cremated locally. But they did not have enough money to go there. Still, two men tried to go to Agra but lost their way while changing trains at Dhanbad and came back. The family of the deceased is reportedly asking as to why the body of the deceased could not be sent to Jharkhand. Reportedly, the GRP claimed that the force had asked someone in the family to come down to identify the body, even promising to arrange and pay for their return travel to Agra, but they declined.