AGARTALA, August 3 (TIWN): Strikes have now touched the dead in Tripura.Those who had the misfortune to die on Monday in Agartala will rue it because they will not be cremated. Those involved with the cremation of the dead at Battala are on strike, demanding regularization of their jobs.

They say Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been promising them regular jobs for the last twenty years without living up to it.

‘We are being given fake promises by the AMC for last 20 years and our livelihood has turn into wilderness with crisis of food for our family”, said one who performs cremation ceremony.

Staging a demonstration at the cremation site, the agitators criticized the Agartala Municipal Corporation for allegedly trying to bluff the dom with fake assurance of giving them permanent jobs at Cremation ground.

They say for burning one body they got only 50 rupees which is too less to run their livelihood and becomes a very tough for them to arrange their two-square meal for their family.

Dead bodies are traditionally cremated on a funeral pyre usually made of wood. However, nowadays in many cities of India there are electric or gas based furnaces used in indoor crematoria and for this process the dom gets only 50 rupees for performing the last rites of the bodies.

As per Hindu rites, the dead body is brought to cremation ground last rites. At cremation ground, the chief mourner has to obtain the sacred fire from the Dom caste, who resides by the cremation ground and light funeral pyres (chita) for a fee.

Getting agitated over the empty promises of the AMC the people of dom caste set the cremation ground on a strike and demanded that no bodies will be burnt until their get any concrete assurance from the authority.

Resentment brewed up among the dom when they were being denied by the AMC for regularization of their jobs.

However, finally on Monday the dom locked the gate of the cremation ground and staged demonstration in front of the gate demanding regularization of their job on a scale of fixed pay.

Panic grew among the localites when the doms sat on strike and decided not to burn the dead bodies on Monday until their demands are fulfilled.