Govandi graveyard closes due to undecomposed bodies

According to a health official, the bodies did not decompose entirely likely due to being buried in polythene sheets due to Covid-19. As unearthing of the bodies is sacrilegious to the families of the dead and could lead to fights, the BMC has taken the decision to temporarily shut the graveyard

Mumbai: After a few bodies were found in a partially decomposed condition even after the minimum required period of 18 months for decomposition, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has ordered to temporarily shut Rafiq Nagar Kabristan in Govandi. The bodies will be buried in the neighbouring graveyard at Cheeta Camp in Trombay.

Govandi graveyard closes due to undecomposed bodies

According to a health official, the bodies did not decompose entirely likely due to being buried in polythene sheets due to Covid-19. As unearthing of the bodies is sacrilegious to the families of the dead and could lead to fights, the BMC has taken the decision to temporarily shut the graveyard.

Contradicting this, residents and local leaders allege that the bodies in the graveyard have not been decomposing due to adulteration of the soil. “The contractor had used soil mixed with building material when it was brought two years ago,” Meraj Ansari, an AAP leader, said.

Claiming the same, an official from the graveyard management said, “If the soil from this graveyard and another is compared, everything will be clear. The soil was brought from the debris of the towers that were being demolished over the city,” he said.

Echoing the claims made by the locals, Shaikh Faiyaz Alam, a social worker, alleged corruption. “This has happened before too. The soil is very hard, stone-like, which is why bodies are not decomposing properly,” he said. Alam has demanded that the civic body test the soil and publish the results.

“The religious leaders and social workers of the area will now discuss and decide what is to be done,” said the BMC health officer. The residents, however, are not too pleased with the BMC order.

“Cheeta Camp is around 8 kms away. Not everyone in the area can afford ambulances or vehicles and it is difficult to walk there with a body,” Ansari said.

When asked by the BMC, Alam suggested that the graveyard be kept partially open and the portions with good soil be open for use.

This comes amid the space crunch to bury bodies in the area. Govandi, home to a Muslim population of 5 to 7 lakh, according to Alam, has three graveyards. One, in Chedda Nagar, is small and caters to people in its vicinity, often leading to them rejecting bodies from elsewhere, claims Meraj. The other, called Deonar Sunni Muslim Kabristan, is 1.45 acres, according to Abdul Rehman Shah, who is in its management. It has not been accepting bodies for around a year due to lack of space and has repairs going on alongside.

“There has been a shortage of graveyard space for a long time now. We have a hearing for a PIL demanding another graveyard on June 12. We have also been allotted a space that is on the dump yard, which would require crores to turn into a graveyard and is not fit to be one,” he said.