Rising over religion, Muslims perform last rites of Hindu Covid victims in UP

A group of young Muslim men have performed the last rites of Hindu Covid victims in Lucknow. Meanwhile, a Muslim man travelled 400 km to perform the last rites of his Hindu friend who died due to Covid.

Amid the cries for help and shortage of medical supplies to deal with the Covid crisis, a group of young Muslim men has won over the internet. These men, while observing Ramzan, performed the last rites of Hindu Covid victims in Uttar Pradesh’s Luckow.

Wearing PPE kits, these young men performed the last rites of those who lost their battle to Covid. This is a story of communities rising over religion to embrace humanity when the world is fighting a deadly virus.

Thirty-three-year-old Imdad Iman, a store owner and a graphic designer who lives in the Maqbara Golganj area in the Old City, along with his team of 22 others has helped in cremating seven Hindu victims. They have also buried 30 Muslim victims. Most of these victims did not have family members in town to perform the last rites.

“Most of them did not have their families or their kin in town. In few cases, the family members were themselves ill, while in one case we were informed of a body by neighbours,” Imam told Times of India.

Imam started the Covid-19 Tadfeen (burial) Committee last year.

“On April 21, we got a call from Bharat Nagar on Sitapur road that a woman who lived alone had died of Covid and the body was lying for three days. The tenants who lived on the floor above, said they had not seen her, neither heard any voice for three days and there was a stench,” he told the national daily.

Meanwhile, in Prayagraj, a Muslim man travelled 400 km to Prayagraj to perform the last rites of his Hindu friend, when relatives did not turn up due to the spread of the virus.

Hem Singh, Joint Registrar of Allahabad High Court used to stay alone. He tested positive for Covid a week ago. He called his friend Shiraj and asked him to get him admitted to a private hospital. Hem Singh died in the hospital unable to recover from Covid.

After his death, none of his relatives turned up to perform his last rites afraid of contracting the virus. This is when his friend Shiraj, travelled 400 km to perform his last rites.

This story first appeared on India Today