Recently, in Shangzhuang Village, Bowang Town, Fangcheng County, Henan Province, a villager named An reported that a local government official had buried his deceased parents in their family’s farmland, rendering it uncultivable and barren. An has repeatedly reported this issue to relevant authorities, but no action has been taken thus far.
An, who works away from home, discovered a burial mound in their family’s farmland in 2023 when he returned to his hometown, as his father was living alone in the village. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the father of a neighbor named Song had passed away in 2021 and was buried in An’s farmland. Despite raising the issue with multiple local departments, no resolution has been reached.
“To my surprise, in August this year, Song buried his deceased mother alongside my family’s land,” An expressed. “Song works at the Natural Resources Bureau of Fangcheng County, and many of his relatives are also government employees who understand the law. How could they bury their family’s graves in someone else’s farmland?”
An attempted to communicate with Song’s family members, but they claimed ignorance about the ownership of the land.
An believes that burying graves is a significant matter, and it should be easy to determine whose farmland it belongs to with a simple inquiry within the village. Three years have passed since the incident, and due to the graves, their farmland remains uncultivable and barren. An hopes that the relevant departments can coordinate to have the graves relocated.
In response to the situation, a personnel staff member from the Personnel Department of the Natural Resources Bureau of Fangcheng County confirmed that Song is indeed an employee of the bureau, but they refrained from disclosing his specific department and duties.
A staff member from the Civil Affairs Office of Fangcheng County stated that they would conduct an investigation into the matter. However, Song chose to hang up the phone when contacted and refused to provide a response.