Denied burial over Covid-19 fear: Indian Muslim man finds place in Hindu graveyard

A 55-year-old Muslim man who died of a cardiac arrest had to be buried in a Hindu graveyard in India's Hyderabad after six graveyards denied him a final resting place on suspicion that he was a Covid-19 patient.

The deceased man's family came to an end when two local Hindu men arranged burial space for the man in a Hindu cemetery, reported Times of India.

Graveyards refuse to provide burial space

The deceased, identified as Mohammed Khaja Miyan had been living in Rangareddy district's Gandamguda locality for the last 10 years. On May 22, he died of a heart attack at his residence. The caretakers of six graveyards refused to bury him by reasoning that he was not a local and then citing that Miyan could have died of COVID-19, so they were not willing to take any risk, according to the deceased man's family.

Two Hindu men come to help deceased man's family

While speaking to The Times of India, the deceased man's son, Mohammed Basha said that after being turned away by six graveyards, he had lost hope of giving his father a proper burial. Later, two locals identified as Shekhar and Sandeep, pitched in to help get a final resting place for Miyan in a Hindu cemetery.

On Wednesday, in a memorandum submitted to Telangana State Waqf Board, Tahreek Muslim president Mustaq Malik sought immediate removal of the caretakers of six graveyards who refused Miyan's burial. He said that legal action should be taken against the "irresponsible" caretakers of the six Muslim graveyards. TSWB chairman Mohammed said that similar instances have come to their notice in recent times. They will investigate the matter and take appropriate action.