GUWAHATI: Congress legislator of Karimganj North constituency in Assam’s Karimganj district, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha went beyond the call of duty of people’s representative when he carried the bodies of two underprivileged SC men on his shoulder, built the pyre and performed the last rites along with the two men’s minor sons.The two men, Nishi Namasudra (40) and Kulendra Namasudra (49), both of Sarifnagar, Kanishaile locality of Karimganj and neighbours, died on Sunday morning. They were unwell for some time, believed to be due living in unhygienic condition caused by the unprecedented floods in the area.The village cremation ground is inundated and the last rites were performed by the National Highway 8 at Patelnagar nearby, which was the only available dry area. More than 4000 people of Karimganj area have taken shelter in relief camps.“I received a call from one of the villagers that these two persons have died and they were helpless. I rushed to the place through flood water. It’s my duty to be with people more when they are in distress,” Purkayastha told TOI. Both men have left behind their wives and two sons, aged five and six years.Dey said that the flood situation in Karimganj district has worsened every day. “This is unprecedented and large swaths of land are under water right till the Bangladesh border.” Altogether 292 villages in the district are reported to be flood-hit till Sunday.According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority, Karimganj district is the worst-hit with nearly 2.15 lakh people affected. Over 6,150 persons have been evacuated to safer places during the last 24 hours by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel from Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cachar.

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