Bihar Horror: Funeral Pyre Charcoal Being Sold to Hotels and Restaurants in Patna Amid LPG Crisis
An investigation by a media outlet has exposed an illegal network selling funeral pyre charcoal to Patna hotels and restaurants. Due to the gas crisis, agents are selling reclaimed coal for ₹6/kg to cook tandoor and litti. Doctors warn of severe cancer risks and heavy metal poisoning from food prepared using this contaminated fuel.
Patna, March 19: A shocking investigative report has exposed a clandestine and illegal trade network supplying charcoal from funeral pyres to local hotels, restaurants, and street food stalls in Bihar. According to a report, agents at major crematoriums including, Bans Ghat and Gulbi Ghat, are extracting unburnt wood charcoal from funeral pyres and selling it as a cheap fuel alternative. This "funeral coal" is reportedly being used to cook popular items like tandoori chicken, naan, and litti chokha across the state capital.
As per an investigation by Dainik Bhaskar, the trade has reportedly flourished due to the severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, which has forced many small-scale eateries to look for cheaper fuel sources. Investigative reporters, posing as hotel operators, successfully struck deals with multiple agents who claimed to supply hundreds of kilograms of this coal daily. These agents revealed that the wood is often extinguished before the body is completely cremated to salvage the charcoal, which is then sorted, bagged, and delivered discreetly to commercial kitchens without any legal documentation. LPG Cylinder Shortage Hits Patna and Other Districts in Bihar; Restaurants and Eateries Reduce Menu Options.
Funeral Pyre Charcoal Being Sold to Hotels and Restaurants in Patna
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How Crematorium Coal is Reaching Your Tandoor and Litti
The primary driver of this illegal trade is the massive price difference between fresh wood charcoal and the "reclaimed" funeral variety. While high-quality wood charcoal in the open market costs approximately INR 25 per kilogram, agents at the ghats are selling funeral charcoal for as low as INR 6 to INR 9 per kilogram.
Standard bags are sold for around INR 600, while "premium" bags, where large bones are manually filtered out, can cost up to INR 1,000. Agents claimed that demand has surged so significantly that they are now supplying up to 100 bags daily to various establishments, including wedding caterers and roadside stalls. LPG Crisis Hits IT Giants: Infosys, TCS and Wipro Scale Back Canteen Services; Here’s Why.
Extraction Process at the Ghats
Agents explained that they monitor the funeral pyres closely, waiting for the "right time" to intervene. Before the cremation process is finished, the fire is doused, and the unburnt wood is pulled aside.
While agents like "Bittu" and "Rohit" claimed that they "clean" the coal and remove large bone fragments, they admitted that smaller remains often stay mixed in. They assured the undercover reporters that the intense heat of a tandoor would burn away any remaining organic matter and that the distinct smell of burning funeral wood would be masked by the aroma of spices and roasting meat.
Serious Health and Cancer Risks
Medical experts have issued a stern warning against the consumption of food cooked using such impure sources. Charcoal derived from cremation sites is likely contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens.
Furthermore, doctors point out that this coal can contain traces of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Inhaling the fumes or consuming food cooked over this fuel can lead to:
- Cancer: Increased risk of lung and intestinal cancers.
- Organ Damage: Serious long-term damage to the kidneys and liver.
- Respiratory Issues: Chronic lung diseases and poisoning from toxic chemical inhalation.
A Decades-Old Illegal Network
The investigation suggests that this practice is not new but has merely scaled up during the current energy crisis. One agent, "Raiji," claimed to have been in the business for over 20 years, using the profits to purchase multiple plots of land across Patna.
The network appears to span across several major ghats, including Fatuha, Danapur, and Digha. Despite the lack of papers and the clearly illegal nature of the trade, the agents operate with high confidence, stating that "no one has ever been caught" because the charcoal is indistinguishable once it is inside a restaurant's furnace.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2026 03:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).