DC mpact: Kin identify unclaimed body with help of news report

Coimbatore: On February 5, the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ carried an exclusive report with the headline, ‘NGO restores dignity of unclaimed bodies’. The news story brought to light, the work of ‘Eera Nenjam’, an NGO that cremated an unidentified youth as per Hindu customs.

The news report was circulated in various social media in the hope that the identity of the young man would be known. A friend of the young dead man who came across the WhatsApp post shared it with the parents of the boy. They could identify their lost son on Saturday.

On Sunday morning, Mr. Nagaraj who is the father of the youth, visited Rathnapuri police station and shared the physical characteristics of his son with police. Coincidently, the description matched the one registered in police the records. 

Through a photograph, Mr. Nagaraj confirmed that the dead youth was indeed Dandapani, his son, who was reportedly missing since February. Rathnapuri police introduced the family to Mr P Mahendran, founder and trustee of ‘Eera Nenjam’.

“We took the relatives to the cremation place in Chokkampudur. The parents paid floral tributes. The family expressed their gratitude as our trust performed the last rites of their lost son as per Hindu traditions and customs. Our team of volunteers and I experienced mixed emotions. With every passing day, the parents prayed and hoped that their son would return home soon. Their wait is over now. The DC news report that was circulated with the photograph of the youth helped the parents identify their son,” Mr Mahendran told this newspaper.

The parents, residents of Gandhipuram, assumed that 35-year-old Dandapani did not return home as he had not found employment. Dandapani was reportedly ill in February and did not carry or use a mobile phone. This made it difficult for the NGO and police team to trace the origin of the youth and on the other hand, made it impossible for his family to communicate with him.

Mr Mahendran added, “This is the first case of identifying the family of the deceased this year. Our NGO has so far established the identity of 15 dead persons.