The incident came in wake of a similar case in Odisha where a tribal in Odisha had to carry his wife's dead body on his shoulder for 10 km as the hospital where she died declined to provide him an ambulance.
Gorey Singh, a resident of Kathari village in Shahdol, on Saturday said that he had to carry the corpse on his bicycle to Amiliha village, which is 20 km away from his place as no ambulance was made available to him.
Singh's mother-in-law Rambai, 70, died on Thursday at Kathari as she lived with her daughter and son-in-law. But her last rites had to be performed at her native Amiliha.
Singh said that when no ambulance or vehicle could be arranged till Friday afternoon, the family decided to take the body on bicycle. He tied the body to the carrier of his bicycle and accompanied by his wife Phoolbai and another woman, he started for Amihila.
The family covered the distance in six hours and reached Amihila at 9 p.m. on Friday, after which they performed the last rites of the deceased.
Shahdol District Magistrate M.K. Shukla told IANS that as per his knowledge, Gorey Singh did not approach the district administration, health department or the village secretary with request for an ambulance.
"The incident has come to my knowledge and I sought a report on it. It has been told to me (by district officials) that the man did not approach the administration, health department or the village secretary for help," he said.
"If he had approached, an ambulance must have been provided to him," he said.
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