Brother Performs Last Rites In Haridwar After Learning Of Sonipat Man's Death At Old-Age Home in News

Shivcharan Ram Ratan Gupta’s elder brother Mahendra performed his last rites and immersed his ashes in Haridwar on Wednesday, after learning of his death through a news report. None of Gupta’s three daughters attended the ritual in person.

Sonipat man's last journey

A man’s last journey has taken an emotional turn after his three daughters stayed away from his final rites, leaving an old-age home management to arrange his cremation and subsequent rituals. After being unable to attend their father’s funeral, the daughters, based in Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, were also unable to perform the ritual of immersing his ashes, according to a report by India Today.

Shivcharan Ram Ratan Gupta, who was living at an old-age home in Sonipat, Haryana, died on August 4 after his health deteriorated. His daughters were informed about his condition before his death but could not visit him, according to old-age home administrator Anand Kumar.

Mahendra Gupta, the elder brother of textile trader Shivcharan Ram Ratan Gupta, travelled to Haridwar on Wednesday to perform his brother’s last rites after learning about his death through a news report. Mahendra, who had been out of contact with Shivcharan and his family for nearly a decade, immersed his brother’s ashes in the Ganga.

Mahendra said he was the eldest of seven siblings and had not been in touch with Shivcharan or his family for around 10 years. He recalled that when an earthquake struck Nepal, he had assumed his brother might have died in the disaster and had since believed him to be dead.

He said he was shocked to learn through a news report that Shivcharan had died only recently. After confirming the details, Mahendra travelled to Haridwar and carried out the ash immersion ritual. Members of social organisations and the old-age home management were also present.

Mahendra said he understood that his nieces may have had their own circumstances that prevented them from travelling for the final rites.

Old-age home management on Shivcharan's daughters inability to attend final rites

After his death, the management contacted the daughters again and asked whether they could travel to Sonipat for the final rites. The daughters reportedly said they did not have time to make the journey. They later joined the cremation through a video call and watched the rituals remotely.

One of the daughters, Anita, who lives in Nepal and works as a teacher, sent Rs 5,100 online and asked the management to ensure that her father’s last rites were performed properly.

After the cremation, the daughters also asked the old-age home to share videos of the funeral proceedings. During one of the calls, one daughter was heard asking how much longer the proceedings would take, saying they had to eat and bathe.

Daughters ask management to complete rituals

The daughters also did not travel to Haridwar for the immersion of their father’s ashes. The old-age home management later spoke to Shivcharan’s eldest daughter, who requested that the ashes be immersed properly.

She asked the management to carry out the rituals, saying they should consider themselves her father’s younger brothers. She said that had her health been better, she would certainly have travelled to Haridwar herself.

The daughter also said she felt 'very ashamed' of the situation and maintained that she loved her father deeply, but there must have been some compulsions. She further claimed that Shivcharan himself had not been willing to stay with his daughters.

🚨SHOCKING | Abandoned in an Old-Age Home, Father Receives Final Goodbye Over Video Call as Daughters Send ₹5,000 for Last Rites pic.twitter.com/pD19taxz3M

— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) August 6, 2026

The daughters subsequently handed over responsibility for the remaining rituals to the old-age home management. They also asked manager Anand Kumar to arrange a havan after the immersion of the ashes.

The daughters plan to perform the thirteenth-day ritual at their respective homes.

Calls became less frequent after he fell ill

According to Kumar, Shivcharan regularly spoke to his daughters using a phone kept at the old-age home. However, the calls became less frequent after he fell ill.

Kumar said the daughters had been informed about their father’s worsening health around 20 days before his death, but they did not visit him.

“Shivcharan had a phone through which he used to talk to his daughters. After he became ill, their calls stopped. We informed them about his condition, but they still could not come,” Kumar said.

This cheetah belongs to Shivcharan Ramratan Gupta, a prominent cloth merchant in #Mumbai. Shivcharan (74) passed away in an old age home in #Sonipat, #Haryana.

He had been living in the ashram for the past three years. Two years ago, his wife had also passed away in the same… pic.twitter.com/bhKsft0S1V

— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) August 6, 2026

The old-age home management eventually stepped in to ensure that Shivcharan’s final rites were completed. His ashes were taken to Haridwar for immersion, with the rituals carried out on behalf of the family.

The episode has drawn attention to the difficult circumstances surrounding Shivcharan’s final days and the role played by the old-age home staff in ensuring that his last rites were performed.