Mahim Kabrastan buries those who die of Covid-19 in coffins

The Mahim Kabrastan trust announced on Sunday that they are burying bodies of Covid-19 patients in coffins, contrary to the Muslim practice of burying the dead by

The Mahim Kabrastan trust announced on Sunday that they are burying bodies of Covid-19 patients in coffins, contrary to the Muslim practice of burying the dead by wrapping them just in shrouds. The Mahim Kabrastan is one of the 15 cemeteries in the city which are taking bodies of coronavirus patients.

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This is in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines which insist burial of affected patients in coffins.

The development comes almost three weeks after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) allowed burial within the city, provided the ground is large enough to ensure no threat of transmission to the area’s residents.

According to the data provided by the BMC, there are 20 Muslim cemeteries in the city, of which 15 have space available for fresh burials.

At Mahim Kabrastan, the authorities said that they can accommodate 50 bodies, of which they have already received seven and two were expected on Monday.

Suhail Khandwani, chairperson of Mahim Sunni Muslim Kabrastan trust, said they held a meeting with Dr Mudassir Lambe, chairperson of Maharashtra State Board Of Wakf (MSWB), which covers Muslim properties in the state, and BMC officials to decide on treatment for Covid bodies. Following which the decision was taken to bury these bodies in coffins.

“Special coffins are provided because we need to consider the safety of those burying the body, as as result of which there is zero manual intervention. Sanitation is also done before and after the burial,” said Khandwani.

Earlier, a dead body used to be lowered in the grave wrapped in a cloth and would be a wooden framework around the grave.

The authorities also decided to conduct burial free of cost for Covid patients.

Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner, said that the BMC had not issued any guidelines to bury the bodies in a coffin.

“There is a World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline which insists on burial in coffins. However, we haven’t asked any cemetery to do that. This might be one of the first Muslim cemeteries to carry out coffin burials,” said Dighavkar.