An Essequibo Coast family was shocked when they went to the mortuary to prepare their dead relative for cremation only to find that there was a mix-up and he was mistaken for another man and had already been cremated.
Harry Persaud, 83, who was a well known pandit of Adventure Village, died at the Suddie Hospital on July 31. His body was taken to the Suddie Hospital Funeral Parlour, which is privately run since the public hospital does not have a morgue. Arrangements were made to have him cremated today.
Another man, 82-year-old Seepersaud of Reliance, also died at the Suddie Hospital last week and was taken to the same morgue.
When Harry Persaud’s relatives visited the morgue yesterday to ensure that all was in place for today’s cremation they were shown Seepersaud’s body and further queries revealed that the pandit had been cremated on Tuesday. “You could imagine how we felt. We turn up and the mortuary people show we this man wuh look nothing like we father. We seh dis nah we dead and then long after dem seh another family collect he and bun he since yesterday,” a relative told Stabroek News.
The distressed man said that for the family from then on, it was confusion and anger. They visited the Suddie Police Station to report the matter but were told by police that there was nothing that could be done since it was not a criminal act. “We now left asking what we gon do. We bought tents and made arrangements already man… Then the police say they can’t do nothing cause is not a police matter is a private matter,” the relative said.
When contacted, an official from the mortuary told Stabroek News that they could not be blamed for the mix-up since Seepersaud’s family positively identified his remains. “They identified the person as their father, they bathe and dressed him themselves. We don’t ask people if you sure this is your dead because people normally know their family and it was not one or two of them, was seven or eight persons preparing the dead so I don’t know what to say,” said the official.
The official further explained that Seepersaud’s family is poor and had indicated that it is now burdensome to stand the cost of another cremation. The Seepersaud family relayed to the Persauds that they would facilitate them in retrieving the ashes from the cremation site so that the final Hindu burial rites could be performed.
A relative stated that they explained to the Persauds their financial constraints and asked if they could be given the ghee and pyre designated for Harry Persaud but this request was rejected and they are now asking “Where will the monies for a second cremation come from?”
