HYDERABAD: The incident of a man being denied burial space in at least four graveyards in the city, has brought the persisting problem of finding a final resting space for a deceased person to the fore. While there is a dearth of land for graveyards in the city, the bigger headache, according to people and Waqf activists, is the “Mutawalli mafia”.
According to them, many Mutawallis or caretakers of graveyards, have been illegally charging exorbitant amounts for allotting space for burial, while they draw salary from the Waqf Board.
“As of now, Mutawallis charge around Rs 1 lakh for a space in a dargah, and over Rs 10,000 in graveyards attached to mosques,” a person named Mohammad Asif Hussain of Sakina Foundation Trust, an NGO, told Express.
Usman Mohammed Khan, a Waqf activist said, “Mutawallis are supposed to charge only for digging and burying. However, they have been extorting a lot of money.” Both Asif and Usman, have been involved in assisting burials of many COVID-related deaths.
“Though this problem has accentuated during COVID crisis, due to stigma, it has been going on for a long time,” Asif added. Apart from the monetary aspect of the problem, family members of deceased persons often find themselves at the receiving end of several intrusive questions.
“Are you a local? If you are not from Hyderabad, then your relative can’t be buried here,” is what Mohammed Pasha had to hear from Mutawallis when he went to bury his father in a local graveyard. He had to ultimately lay his father in a Hindu cremation ground. However, the situation is slightly different for Shia community. According to Syed Ali Jaffry, the secretary of Shia Companions, there are only four graveyards for Shias here. “Of the four, three are private. The other is Dargah Mir e Momin,” he said.
However now, the graveyard has encroached from all sides. Meanwhile, all three persons that Express spoke to slammed the Waqf Board and it’s apparent “inefficiency” for the deteriorating condition of graveyards. When contacted, Mohammed Saleem, chairman of the Waqf Board told Express that the Board will take action against the Mutawallis who denied burial space to Mohammed Pasha’s father.