📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Shacchu
Religion
Gorakhpur’s ‘Amma’ performs last rites for 1,800 unclaimed bodies
✍️ Bhaskar English
🗓 11 Oct 2026, 08:32 AM
👁 15
A local volunteer known as ‘Amma’ in Gorakhpur has performed funeral rites for 1,800 bodies that remained unclaimed, ensuring they receive a dignified burial.
Gorakhpur resident affectionately called “Amma” has taken on the task of conducting last rites for more than 1,800 unclaimed bodies that arrive at the city’s mortuary. The initiative, carried out without any official backing, aims to provide a respectful burial for those who have no next of kin to claim them.
Amma, a retired school teacher, organizes daily prayers, washes the bodies according to Hindu customs and arranges for simple cremations or burials, depending on the family’s religious background. Over the past few years she has built a small network of volunteers who help transport the bodies, procure firewood and manage the logistics of the ceremonies.
Local authorities have praised her effort, noting that the practice helps reduce the backlog in municipal mortuaries and restores human dignity to the deceased. Community members have begun contributing money and supplies, turning the solitary act into a collective social service.
The work has also sparked broader discussions about the state’s responsibility toward unclaimed bodies and the role of civil society in filling gaps in public services. Amma says she will continue the work as long as there are bodies left without a final send‑off.
Amma, a retired school teacher, organizes daily prayers, washes the bodies according to Hindu customs and arranges for simple cremations or burials, depending on the family’s religious background. Over the past few years she has built a small network of volunteers who help transport the bodies, procure firewood and manage the logistics of the ceremonies.
Local authorities have praised her effort, noting that the practice helps reduce the backlog in municipal mortuaries and restores human dignity to the deceased. Community members have begun contributing money and supplies, turning the solitary act into a collective social service.
The work has also sparked broader discussions about the state’s responsibility toward unclaimed bodies and the role of civil society in filling gaps in public services. Amma says she will continue the work as long as there are bodies left without a final send‑off.