Man to move court over graveyard for Sunnis

A businessman and resident of Bandra (W) has decided to take the government to court after efforts by him and his community have failed to get a favourable response for the allocation of a graveyard for the 2.5 lakh Sunni population in the H-West ward, which sees around two deaths on an average a day.

Mohammad Qureishi, the businessman, says that the absence of a graveyard in Bandra or Khar (W) forces people to take their dead to the Santacruz (W) or Bandra (E) cemetery that are almost filled to capacity and are struggling to accommodate the dead from their own wards.

Speaking about the situation, Mr Qureishi said, “A death for the 2.5 lakh Muslims in the H-West Ward is the start of an agonising final journey, the destination of which is unknown due to the paucity of a graveyard within the ward. As a result the family has to hunt for a resting place either at the Santacruz (W) or the Bandra (E) cemetery, which again is filled to the brim and has corpses popping out of the graves literally for want of space. Currently, graves not older than six months are being dug up to bury the dead, as a result of which semi-decomposed bodies have to be reburied to accommodate the new bodies.”

The graveyard at Santacruz (W) has space for 500 graves, of which some of them have been earmarked as heritage as some prominent personalities have been buried there. As a result of this, the available graves are few and have been reused a number of times as the remains of Muslims not only from the H-West ward but also from K-West ward are brought here for burial. Similarly the graveyard at Bandra (E) is also filled to capacity as it caters to the nearly two lakh Sunni Muslim population and sees around two deaths a day.

Mr Qureishi further added that he had been pursuing the issue of getting space allotted in Bandra (W) or Khar (W) since the past several years but neither the previous government nor BMC administration did anything about it. “I had approached many local politicians for the allotment of space for a graveyard and also did the rounds of the BMC requesting space for a graveyard, however to no avail. On behalf of the community I have decided to approach the court for the same and will be filing a petition demanding fulfillment of our basic rights,” he said.

Mr Qureishi said that apart from approaching the court, he would be starting a signature campaign in the H-West ward to get the demand for a graveyard fulfilled. “Apart from the Sunni community the campaign would also be seeking support from other Muslim communities as the problem affects them too. As the Development Plan 2032 does not have any provision for a graveyard in this ward we hope that through the campaign and the petition we are able to get the plan amended in favour of a graveyard,” he said.