Hundreds of Covid infected Hindus cremated by Kota Muslim family
A Muslim family in charge of Kota’s biggest cremation ground since three generations claims to have performed the last rites of close to 800 Hindus in the last two months, including around 400 Covid-19 victims, many of whom couldn’t be attended to by their family members.
Earlier this month, a Brahmin family in Kota’s Talwandi locality lost an elderly person to Covid-19 while the rest were themselves battling the infection, leaving no one to collect and cremate the body. It was at such an hour that 31-year old Moid Anwar responded to the distress call and arranged for an ambulance to transport the body to the Kishorepura crematorium after four members of his team had packed it as per the Covid-19 containment protocols.
Social worker Om Prakash Sahni, who called Anwar for help said, “Moid and his brother themselves arranged the pyre for the last rites of the deceased in the presence of a Hindu priest as no one from the family of the victim could attend.”
One priest of Sindhi community, Jeetu Sharma (30), said Moid and his brother Moin not only sell firewood for last rites but made all arrangements for cremation and their services were exceptional during the peak of Covid-19 crisis, when crematoriums overflowed yet many abandoning their dead ones due to fear of contracting the virus.
“They even provide free firewood to those who cannot afford the expenses of last rites and have cremated so many Covid-19 deceased,” said Jeetu Sharma.
“They performed the last rites as per the wishes of the family members of the deceased, for which people extended their gratitude to them,” he said.
Rajaram Jain Karmayogi of
Karmayogi Seva Sansthan, whose organization provide vehicles for dead body transportation and arranges for last rites in the city, said, “At a time when human race is facing one of its worst moments with family members not cremating even their own, Moid and his team have cremated countless people risking their own lives.”
Moid says his family has been the caretaker at the Kishorepura Muktidham for the last 50 years”.
“Our grandmother Haleema Bai started working here and later my father Anwar Hussain joined her and now we are working at Kishorepura,” he said.“during Covid-19 peak period in April and May this year, we worked round the clock as bodies were coming in one after another,” Moid added.
There are half a dozen members in Moid’s team. “We have performed the last rites of 800 persons in these two months. More than 50% of these were Covid-19 deaths. Our team members, comprising both Muslim and Hindus, lit several pyres in absence of family members,” he said.
Moid also arranges ambulances to bring Covid-19 patients through his contacts with service providers.
“We only charge for the firewood for cremation, but provide free facilities, including arranging ambulances to pick up the dead and pyres and priests for the last rites,” he said, adding that families are requested to pay the priests directly.
Moid said he and his team earned around ₹30,000 a month. Interestingly, all of them have remained uninfected despite cremating several Covid-19 patients. “We follow the protocol while God also helps us in our service to mankind and keeps us fit enough to help others,” he concludes. KOTA: