NEW DELHI—Delhi’s biggest crematorium grounds, the Nigam Bodh Ghat, has seen a rapid surge in activity in the past week. On April 24, the dead were waiting in the ambulances outside, others being carried by family, some being laid on the pyre, and many burning, while rituals are being performed. A pall of dignified silence lay over the entire scene. On the main gate, toward the left, there’s a notice from North Delhi’s municipal corporation that lists seven hospitals whose COVID-19 casualties are allowed for cremation. The notice further says: “Cremation inside Nigam Bodh Ghat is allowed between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day.” On the right is a cautionary note to maintain one’s distance, next to which was a corpse on a stretcher. Situated along the river Yamuna, the Nigam Bodh Ghat (ghat means bank) had at least four layers of cremations occurring on April 24. There were …