Rajasthan man halts mother's cremation, demands her silver bangles before allowing the last rites to proceed

In a shocking incident in Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district, a man halted his mother's cremation, demanding her silver bangles before

The mood in a small Indian village was sunny as relatives and neighbours gathered to pay respects to Bhuri Devi, 80, who had died peacefully at home on May 3.

But the atmosphere soured as the men, clad in saffron turbans and white tunics, prepared to light the funeral pyre for the grandmother of 18.

One son, Omprakash, 60, refused to move from the pyre, in protest at his brothers keeping his mother’s silver bangles.

The scene, filmed by a villager and shared widely online, showed the men arguing in the Kotputli-Behror district of Rajasthan state.

Omprakash, the fifth of seven sons, said his brother Girdhari, the eldest, should give him the bangles.

“I told them I won’t move unless they give me the bangles,” Omprakash said later. “I'm the fifth son and I'm entitled to them.”

The footage showed the men bickering for nearly two hours as smoke rose from the pyre and villagers tried in vain to intervene.

Finally, an aunt arrived with a small pouch of silver bangles and a chain, which she handed to Omprakash. He then stood up and the body was cremated.

“We were deeply troubled by this scene,” said Madhu, a relative who attended the funeral. “It showed a complete disregard for the sanctity of death.”

Another relative, who asked to be identified only by her last name, Devi, said the brothers had a long-standing property dispute.

“Omprakash has been living separately from his six brothers for the past three to four years due to a family dispute,” she said.

After the rituals at the house, Bhuri Devi’s jewellery was collected and given to Girdhari, who was handing it out to the other relatives. But when it came to Omprakash, he refused to accept anything other than the silver bangles.

“He kept saying he wants the bangles, and no one was listening to him,” Devi said.

As the body was being moved to the crematorium, Omprakash began protesting again, lying down on the pyre to prevent the villagers from setting it alight.

“We were all shocked and we tried to explain to him that this behaviour was inappropriate,” she said. “But he was adamant.”

The deceased's husband, Chitramal Regar, passed away two years ago. Omprakash is the fifth among the seven brothers.

The video has since gone viral, drawing mixed reactions online and highlighting the bitter consequences of unresolved family disputes.

A post on X, formerly Twitter, showed the footage with the caption: "This is the level of greed that can lead to. An Indian brother refuses to let his mother be cremated as no one gave him the deceased's silver bangles.”

Another user wrote: "It's sad to see how a family dispute could disrupt the last rites of a mother. The brother's demand for bangles seems petty in comparison to the enormity of the situation."