Police in Bhayander have received a complaint against four employees of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation and a couple who operate a private animal burial and cremation service. The six individuals are accused of trespassing on burial grounds for allegedly cremating a pet cat's body at a public crematorium last month. Jitesh Patel (44) and his wife Parul (42), who run the 'Pet Heavens Dog, Cat Burial and Cremation Service,' reportedly took the cat's body to a civic crematorium in Ambedkar Nagar, Bhayander (west), between 5 pm and 8 pm on December 22. The cat's body was cremated in the same pyre used for human cremations.
The accused Identified as Baban Tule (55), Hanuman Chavan (24), Miraj Ali (47), and Nilesh Patil (45), contracted to maintain the crematorium, allegedly assisted in the cremation. Despite working in shifts, there was no entry made in the register regarding the cat's cremation.
The incident came to light on December 24 when a video of the cremation was shared on social media. The authenticity of the video was confirmed, leading to a case being filed against the six individuals. Civic officials revealed that the pet owners had paid the cremation service providers without knowing the specifics of how and where the carcass would be cremated. The identity of the pet owners remains undisclosed.
Police are investigating whether the couple has engaged in similar arrangements with other crematoriums in Bhayander. The lack of burial space for pets in Mira-Bhayander has prompted some people to seek final rites for their animals at Mumbai's SPCA at Parel. Others resort to burying pets in open spaces at night or utilizing the electric mobile crematorium for animals in Dahisar. Plans to establish an animal crematorium in Utan, Bhayander (west), were reportedly abandoned due to opposition from locals, according to civic officials.