UP men caught cooking meat on funeral pyre as part of tantric ritual, arrested

Three men were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur after they cooked meat over the flames of an elderly man’s funeral pyre in an attempt to perform a tantric ritual.

The incident came to light when the deceased’s son returned to the cremation ground and found the accused cooking meat on the pyre.

As per the complaint filed by the deceased’s son, his father died of illness on Saturday. His last rites were performed on Sunday afternoon, following which the family returned home after lighting the funeral pyre.

When his son returned to the cremation ground a short while later, he allegedly found village tantric Surendra, along with Rajendra and Ramcharan, cooking chicken on the burning pyre. When he objected to the utensils placed on the wood, Surendra allegedly abused him.

The ensuing argument and commotion drew other villagers to the spot, leading to chaos at the cremation ground. Police were subsequently informed and arrested all three accused.

Police said the three men were under the influence of drugs when they were found cooking meat on the funeral pyre.

Speaking about the incident, an official said, “An elderly man died in Natthapur village. After his funeral, three people, under the influence of drugs, were cooking meat on his pyre. Based on the son's complaint, a case has been registered under the relevant sections, and all three accused have been arrested.”

Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the law, and all three accused have been taken into custody as part of the investigation into the incident.- Ends(With inputs from Vinay Pandey)Published By: Raya GhoshPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 16:22 IST