chandigarh

Updated: Sep 13, 2015 18:05 IST

Residents of Chandigarh are seething with anger after some of them were not allowed to cremate their dead owing to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.

A cremation ground in Sector 25, which is just next to the rally ground where the PM is scheduled to deliver a speech at around 11.30 pm, has instead been converted into a car parking.

Our correspondent on the spot saw cars in and outside the cremation ground and signboard with “parking lot” written on it.

A group of mourners going towards the cremation ground in Sector 25 were on Friday morning sent to another crematorium at Manimajra and were told that entry to the Sector 25 crematorium was barred due to security reasons.

A senior officer of the UT administration said residents had been told to delay the last rites “for a few hours”. He said mourners could cremate their dead after the PM left the venue.

The restrictions evoked widespread condemnation from residents, who accused the administration of harassing them.

“The administration could have at least given a prior notice to announce the ban on entry to the cremation ground in Sector 25,” one resident said.