This is Not The Way We Treat Our Dead

Sabu Verghese a Gentleman cadet in the prestigious Indian Military Academy was found dead in the swimming pool last Monday. It was an accidental death, he took the last dive which proved to be fatal.

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Sabu belonged to a family of casual labourers in a small village of Kerala, the same village our Defence Minister Mr.A.K. Anthony belongs to. It must be a moment of great joy and pride when Sabu got through the difficult entrance procedure of IMA and was selected. They all must have started dreaming of a comfortable future, which unfortunately did not materialise.

Worse, while the grieving parents waited in the far off village for the body of Sabu, they were in for another heart breaking shock. First they were told that the body will be arriving on Tuesday, they sent an ambulance to the nearest airport but it waited in vain, finally the body arrived on Wednesday and it was in an awful condition.

"It was smelling and apparently it was not embalmed properly. The stench was so bad that it was impossible to stand near it. It was enclosed in a plastic sheet in a wooden box and the piece of cloth was placed on it. The few army officers accompanying the body advised them not to open the box. When they removed the cloth to see the face of their beloved son part of flesh of Sabu's face came off on the cloth and they could see nothing but his teeth.

Obviously everyone is upset about the state of body, that too of a Gentleman Cadet of IMA. He would have been an officer in the army had he lived. The parents supported by the whole village and local MP want action against the callous officials who did not do their duty properly.

May be the Defence Minister would look in this case and at least give instructions for action against them.