SSB personnel carry woman’s bier in Uttarakhand village as young men have migrated in search of jobs

PITHORAGARH: Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel helped carry the bier of an elderly woman to the crematorium as there were no young men in her village in Uttarakhand, locals said.

Jhupa Devi from Tadigam village located on the Indo-Nepal border died at the age of 100 on Wednesday, her family members said.

Her body had to be taken to the crematorium 3 km away on the banks of the Kali River, but there were no young men available in the village all of who have migrated in search of jobs.

Bhupendra Chand, an elderly resident of the village, said, “There were no young men in the village, and therefore we had to seek the help of SSB personnel to carry Jhupa Devi’s body to the crematorium.”

Jhupa Devi’s 65-year-old son, Ramesh Chand, said that at the request of the villagers, two officers and four jawans were sent from the SSB border outpost near Tadigam for the task.

He said that the SSB personnel not only carried the elderly woman’s body from her house to the crematorium but also carried firewood for the cremation and helped in completing the last rites.