The residents of Bahanaga in Balasore district on Sunday tonsured their heads en masse as part of the tenth-day Hindu ritual to pay tribute to the victims of the triple-train crash that claimed 288 lives.

An all-faith prayer meeting for the victims will be organised on Monday.

The locals gathered at a small pond behind the premises of the Government Nodal High School where the bodies were kept for a day before being sent to mortuaries in Balasore and Bhubaneswar.

They also organised a memorial service for those who lost their lives in the June 2 accident.

Gayadhar Raj, a retired school teacher, told The Telegraph: “We are organising this memorial service for those who lost their lives. There were many people who died in the accident but remained untraceable. No one is there to observe rituals for them. So we decided to observe the rituals for those unfortunate victims.”

Raj disputed the government’s claim that only 288 people died in the accident. “I was there at the accident site. I reached the spot within a few minutes of the crash. I saved many lives and many died in front of me. There were many bodies whose whereabouts were not known. At least we can pray for the liberation of their souls.”

Convener of the organising committee, Sarat Raj, told The Telegraph: “We are observing a three-day memorial service at a field near the high school. Cutting across political lines, people have come forward to support the cause.”

Raj added: “The accident was a nightmarish experience for us. Within five minutes of the accident, we all reached the spot and remained there for the next 24 hours to help the victims. Many succumbed to injuries in front of us. Now it’s our right to remember those who passed away here at Bahanaga, hundreds of kilometres away from their homes.”