Rupjyoti Kurmi, a Congress MLA from Mariani, in Assam’s Jorhat district has set a great example of humanity and selfless service, after the politician turned pallbearer for a poor man who had died and the family had no resources to cremate him, The Hindu reported.
Dilip Dey a poverty stricken resident of Mariani had only a physically challenged cousin to call family. After his death on Thursday, there weren’t enough people to carry his body to the crematorium and perform the funeral rites.
After being informed about the situation by a local trader, Rupjyoti Kurmi, stepped in and became one of the pallbearers.
He took the initiative to cremate the body as per Hindu rituals and carried Dey’s body to the cemetery and took the lead in preparing the chita– a stretcher-like bamboo structure on which the body is taken to the crematorium.
In July 2017, he hoisted a bag of 50 kg rice on his back and delivered it to a flood relief camp near Kaziranga National Park.
On Friday evening, less than 24 hours after ensuring Mr. Dey’s cremation, the MLA became a pallbearer for the janaza (funeral) of a local auto-rickshaw driver’s mother.
Kabir Ahmed, the auto-rickshaw driver, had wanted the MLA to be part of his mother’s final journey.