Mumbai : Instructions for the Burial of 2 dead Bodies in 1 Tomb, Muslims Struggling to Find Space for Dead Bodies in Cemeteries of Mumbai
The deaths due to corona infection in Mumbai are so much that there is no more space left for burial in the cemetery. Where the locals are concerned is that the place where corona infected are buried, they will not be able to use it for at least 4-5 years. At the same time, the relatives of the deceased are being advised to visit the large cemetery at Kalbadevi.
In Maharashtra, Minority Development Minister Nawab Malik has given instructions that the bodies should be buried 20 feet inside, seeing less space in the cemetery. So that two bodies can be buried in one place.
The management of Bada Cemetery stated on the lack of space that it is the largest cemetery in Mumbai. They have divided it into 7 parts. Of these, 3 are being used for normal carcasses, the rest are only for covid infected carcasses.
According to the Mid-Day Report, Zuma Masjid and Bombay Trust President Shoaib Khatib stated, “So far more than a thousand COVID bodies have been buried here. Of these, 125 have been buried in the last month. We have no shortage of space so far. ”
Says Khatib, “In the normal case the graves are used again, but this is not the case for covid infected corpses. We cannot use that place again for at least 5 years, this is the biggest concern. ”
#MiddayNews#Mumbai: #Muslim cemeteries struggle to find space for #COVID19 victims
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— Mid Day (@mid_day) April 29, 2021
This problem is increasing rapidly in the Muslim-majority Gowandi of Mumbai. Abdul Rahman Karimullah Shah, president of the Deonar Sunni Muslim Cemetery, says there are 10-15 lakh Muslims in his area. Despite this, he is using the same place, which used to be in the number of 50 thousand. The second cemetery allotted in Rafiq Nagar is also in the same condition.
Shah says that the second cemetery he found last year. It had a place to bury more than 200 bodies but now the situation is getting out of hand. They have demanded open space in the cemetery.
At the same time, Mahim is giving place in the cemetery to those who fall within the radius of just 3 km radius of Sunni cemetery, that too with the permission of the hospital and police. Cemetery president Suhail says, “We are not refusing anyone. We are also helping the place in another cemetery. ”
Khandwani says, “We are following the guidelines of the government and WHO for the burial of dead bodies. But there is no clear information anywhere that two bodies can be buried in a tomb. We have written a letter to the government to make some suggestions in this regard. The answer is yet to come. ”
Similarly, the trust, which manages the Versova Muslim cemetery, says that they cannot use the entire space for covid-infected bodies. On his part, he is making all efforts to bury the Covid dead bodies as per the government guidelines.
The same condition is in the Naupada cemetery of Bandra. Bahlul, a trustee there, says, “We were burying the Covid corpses. But last year, a Muslim cremated in Malad by cremation. Now we have stopped taking the dead bodies due to lack of space. We try to bury the dead body wherever it is. ”
Significantly, the most affected state of Corona is Maharashtra in India. Their condition is very bad at the moment. On Wednesday, there were 985 deaths and 63309 people were found positive. So far, a total of 44,77,394 people have been infected here. In Mumbai, there were 102 deaths in just 24 hours and 7, 503 new cases. In such a situation, the senior journalist Iqbal Mamdani has demanded the government to bring a policy on the problem that is being observed due to the Kovid dead bodies in the cemetery.
He said, “Muslim leaders should at least ensure that people are able to bury the bodies of their loved ones in a proper manner. There are many cemeteries in Mumbai but people are trapped in legitimacy. Some are also waiting for government funds. “
