UK Hindus hold first open-air cremation in 70 yrs

Hexham (England), Jul 13: Hindus staged their first open-air funeral in Britain for more than 70 years and hope they can now get the go-ahead to light pyres for all their dead.

At an emotion-charged ceremony yesterday, the family of an Indian illegal immigrant found dead in a canal bade a tearful farewell to him on remote farmland in northeast England.

Police had been alerted about the ceremony but allowed it to go ahead after checking all the documentation.

Davender Ghai of the Anglo-Asian Friendship Society, who lit the pyre, arranged for the mother and sister of Rajpal Mehat to fly over especially for the cremation.

Hindus insist on the right to stage open-air cremations so their dead can take an unimpeded path to reincarnation.

They are offended by the use of gas-powered crematorium furnaces and fearful that the ashes could be inadvertently mixed with others.

About 500,000 Hindus and an estimated 320,000 Sikhs live in Britain where open-air cremations have been banned since the 1930's amid environmental concerns over mercury emissions.

Andrew Bogan, legal adviser to the Anglo-Asian Friendship Society, told Reuters: ''Police had been alerted that an illegal pyre was to be lit. I showed them copies of all the certificates required to burn a body.

''They were satisfied all due process had been adhered to and said the funeral should go ahead with the blessing of the police. This is the first open-air cremation in Britain for 72 years. Hopefully we have created the precedent we are seeking.'' Giving a graphic account of his life as an illegal immigrant, Rajpal Mehat's sister Sonia said: ''He moved from menial job to job, city to city, living in constant fear of being caught.'' She said the ''agent'' that arranged his entry into Britain was paid 8,500 pounds and ''took most of Rajpal's earnings to pay it off.'' He died on December 16, 2005, two days before his 32nd birthday.

She and her mother, pleading for information to clear up the mystery of Rajpal's death, went to visit the bridge over the canal where he died. Police investigations were unable to confirm if he jumped, fell or was pushed.

''By lighting Rajpal's body on the funeral pyre, his soul will be released to find peace from the torment he suffered in the final frantic moments of his life,'' his sister Sonia said.

''The kindness of strangers has brought us this far. I pray it will also lead us to the truth behind his death.''

REUTERS