Journalists Step In To Perform Last Rites Of Destitute Woman In Odisha

Cuttack: In a moving act of compassion, two journalists in Odisha’s Cuttack district performed the final rites of an elderly destitute woman after no relatives or villagers came forward to cremate her body.

The woman, identified as Rangalata Sadangi, a resident of Lendura Bhagwanpur village under Kalamishri panchayat in the Cuttack Sadar Assembly constituency, passed away earlier this week. With no family or local support to arrange her funeral, her body remained unattended.

On learning about the situation, journalists Chittaranjan Behera and Bhairav Chandra Sethi, who work in the Kishannagar area of Cuttack district, immediately reached the village along with a few friends. Taking responsibility for the rites, they carried the body to the crematorium on the banks of the Chitrapola River and conducted the cremation as per customary rituals.

Their gesture has drawn appreciation from the journalist fraternity and social groups across the state, who have hailed the act as a rare example of humanitarian service beyond professional duty.

Commending the journalists, Prasanna Mohanty, former member of the Press Council of India and president of the Odisha Union of Journalists, said, “The noble work by Chittaranjan Behera and Bhairav Chandra Sethi will inspire youth to come forward to serve society in the right spirit. Their act of humanity is truly exemplary.”