Mumbai: Muslim cemeteries struggle to find space for COVID-19 victims

The pandemic and a rise in population have led to space shortage at cemeteries for Muslims across the city The challenge for the community is that the areas where COVID bodies are buried cannot be reused for the next 45 years A few smaller Qabristans have stopped taking COVID bodies and are asking the kin of the victims of the virus to approach the Bada Qabristan at KalbadeviOshiwara Qabristan is among the cemeteries facing space crunchInsisting that there is no shortage of space as yet Nawab Malik the statersquos minority development minister said ldquoWe have directed people to dig 20 ft instead of 10 ft so the one grave can be used for burying two bodiesrdquoThe management of Bada Qabrastan the largest cemetery for Muslims in Mumbai says they have divided the place into seven parts of which three are being used for general bodies and the rest has been reserved for COVID bodies ldquoSo far more than a thousand COVID bodies have been buried here including 125 in the last one month We donrsquot have any shortage of space as of nowrdquo said Shoaib Khatib chairman of Juma Masjid and Bombay Trust that manages the cemetery in south MumbaiKhatib said a grave can be reused in regular cases but itrsquos different for pandemic victims ldquoFor COVID bodies we wonrsquot be able to reuse the space at least for five years which is a major concernrdquo At Govandi which has one of the highest Muslim populations in Mumbai the problem is acute ldquoWe have 1015 lakh Muslims here still we are using the same space which was allotted when the communityrsquos population here was 50000 Another Qabristan recently allotted at Rafiq Nagar is also facing the same issuerdquo said Abdul Rehman Karimullah Shah president of Deonar Sunni Muslim Qabristan This cemetery initially accepted COVID bodies and has given space to more than 200 such victims in the past year ldquoNow the situation is getting out of hands We have urged the civic body to give us more open space available inside the Qabristanrdquo Shah addedSenior journalist and social activist Iqbal Mamdani who has been helping burial and cremations said itrsquos time the government brought out a policy on burial sites ldquoMuslim leaders also must do something to ensure that at least people get enough space to burry their departed loved ones There are many Qabristans across Mumbai but they are stuck in legalities Some are awaiting funds from the governmentrdquo he saidMahim Sunni Muslim Qabristan is taking bodies only from a 3km radius that too with hospital and police permission ldquoWe are not refusing anyone We are helping people with space in other Qabristansrdquo said Suhail Khandwani chairman of the cemeteryldquoWe have been following the government and WHO guidelines for burial but there are no clear norms on placing two bodies in one grave I have written to the government with some suggestions but still to get a responserdquo Khandwani addedThe trust that manages the 5acre Versova Muslim Qabristan says it canrsquot use the entire area for COVID bodies because of concerns of space reuse ldquoWe are doing everything to accommodate all COVID bodies as per government rulesrdquo said trustee Siaj Haidade The situation is the same at Bandra East Naupada Qabristan ldquoInitially we were taking COVID bodies but after one Muslim person was cremated in Malad last year there was panic among Muslims We have now stopped taking COVID for lack of space However we ensure burial wherever space is availablerdquo said Bahlool Qureshi trustee