Assam: Sonari man declared dead returns home on third day of post funeral rites, police probe identity mix-up

In a bizarre incident from Assam's Sonari, a man who had been presumed dead and whose last rites were being observed by his family returned home alive, raising serious questions about the identification of an unidentified body recovered earlier this week.

According to sources, an unidentified young man’s body was recovered from the middle of Sonari town two days ago. Police officials took custody of the body and sent it for postmortem examination. Following preliminary identification procedures, the body was identified as Vijay Kurmi, a resident of Ward No. 12, based on claims made by his family members and local residents.

The body was subsequently handed over to the family of Vijay Kurmi, led by his brother Vinod Kurmi. The family and villagers proceeded with funeral rituals, including preparations for Tiloni, a customary post-cremation observance.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, Vijay Kurmi, who is employed at a hotel in Sonari, returned home three days later, coinciding with the day of the 'Tiloni' ceremony. His unexpected arrival left family members and the local community in shock.

The incident has raised serious concerns over the process of identifying deceased individuals, particularly in cases involving unidentified bodies. Questions have emerged regarding the actual identity of the body that was cremated, and whether due diligence was followed before handing over the body to the family.

Police authorities have confirmed that an investigation is underway to ascertain the identity of the deceased person and to determine how the misidentification occurred. Officials indicated that further forensic verification may be conducted as part of the probe.