Girl’s body carried across swollen stream

Visakhapatnam: In a shocking incident, a group of villagers of Thumidiput in Laxmipuram panchayat of Munchingiput mandal in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district risked their lives and carried the body of a 10-year-old girl to the village burial ground crossing a swollen stream.
The girl, Buridi Bhanu, succumbed to illness on Monday. Her family members tried to shift her to a nearby hospital but failed as heavy rains in the region left the stream in spate and inundated the road.As there was no other option to cross the stream, Bhanu’s family preserved her body in the village for two days.
However, a group of villagers on Wednesday crossed the river carrying the body, reached the burial ground, and performed her last rites. Following the incident, locals came down heavily on the officials concerned and the politicians for not constructing a causeway over the stream. They held a massive protest in support of their demand. The incident went viral on social media.
Korra Trinadh, sarpanch of Laxmipuram panchayat, said the village has over 500 population and they have been suffering due to lack of proper road connectivity and causeway. The villagers have been risking their lives to cross the swollen stream to reach the neighbouring village or nearest mandal headquarters during rainy days. “We have been demanding a causeway, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Araku MLA Chetti Palguna ahd promised to construct a causeway but it has not yet been fulfilled,” he added.