Haryana Assembly: Dead Body Bill withdrawn for a day to allow for changes

However, as some members have suggested change in some words, I will withdraw the bill till tomorrow, he said.The Haryana cabinet had last month approved the draft bill which seeks to prohibit any protest with the body of a dead person.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday told the Assembly that he was withdrawing the Dead Body Bill for a day to change the phrasing objected to by some members. The Haryana Honourable Disposal of Dead Body Bill, 2024, which was introduced last week during the ongoing budget session and taken up on Monday for discussion, has provision of punishing those who used a body for remonstration.

Congress member Varun Chaudhary said in the Assembly, ''Who does not want honourable last rites of the body? But if somewhere a protest is held, that is out of compulsion, as the next of kin of the deceased feel they have not been heard. Otherwise no one wishes to delay the last rites of their kin.'' ''There should be a provision of being heard. There should be a provision made in the bill to register the grievances of the aggrieved family,'' Chaudhary said, while seeking an amendment.

Congress' B B Batra referred to Section 6 (1) of the bill and objected to the phrase ''person knowledge'' used in it.

The section reads, ''whenever, an officer in-charge of the police station has reason to believe from personal knowledge or otherwise, to be recorded in writing, that any dead body is likely to be used by any family member or a group of persons or is being so used, for remonstration, he shall take possession of the dead body and immediately send information to this effect to the district superintendent of police and the executive magistrate concerned.'' Batra asked ''What is 'personal knowledge' of an investigating officer? Government should give one chance for appeal and the wording 'personal knowledge..' should be deleted,'' Batra suggested.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, while speaking during the discussion on the bill, said that if a body has to be preserved for some time, like in case one dies under suspicious circumstances, legal provisions are already there for it.

''The bill has been brought in case anyone holds protests with a body and tries to exert pressure on the administration to meet demands. It is not only Haryana which is bringing this bill. The Rajasthan government has also passed this using similar wordings and it was passed at a time when Congress government ruled the state,'' Khattar said.

Congress' Jagbir Malik referred to provisions of the bill and also mentioned INLD state unit president Nafe Singh Rathee's murder in Bahadurgarh. Malik asked if a family could not even express its resentment and demand the arrest of culprits. Vij said that it is an important bill as some people hold protests with bodies for many days.

There are many other ways to hold protests in a democratic set up and this is why have mentioned remonstration instead of demonstration in the bill, he said. However, as some members have suggested change in some words, I will withdraw the bill till tomorrow, he said.

The Haryana cabinet had last month approved the draft bill which seeks to prohibit any protest with the body of a dead person. The Haryana Honourable Disposal of Dead Body Bill-2024 seeks to ensure ''the dignity of the dead.''