Russian Ambassador Claims Cremation of Russian Tourists In Odisha Was Customary

Bhubaneswar: Putting an end to the controversy over the cremation of two Russian tourists to India, the Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said that their cremation was done as per the Russian customs.

“It would be useful for some Hercule Poirot lovers (a fictionary character in Agatha Christie’s detective novels) to learn that cremation in Russia is as customary as burial,” Alipov tweeted.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Consulate General in Kolkata also clarified, “The nearest relatives of the deceased have clearly expressed their will to have bodies of Vladimir Bydanov and Pavel Antov cremated and their remains (ashes) taken to Russia.”

It is worth mentioning that the hotel staff of a three-star hotel in Odisha’s Rayagada found Bydanov in an unconscious state in his hotel room on December 22. The doctors at the district hospital later declared him dead.

Bydanov’s roommate Antov, a Russian deputy of the Legislative Assembly in the Vladimir Region and businessman, died on December 24 after allegedly falling from the third-floor terrace of the hotel. Antov was a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The controversy over the Russians’ cremation was triggered after Congress leader Manish Tiwari posted a video on Twitter on December 28 stating that Antov and Bidenov had died under mysterious circumstances.

He added, “Two Christians cremated not buried! Why? Hercule Poirot says burnt bodies tell no tales”.