Graves in Shaheen Bagh cave in after rain, the deceased family members cry for repair work
Several graves in Shaheen Bagh graveyard have caved in a few days ago after rain, according to residents. Ershad Ahmad, who had gone to visit his father’s grave to pay obeisance, said he was pained to see the grave in bad shape. “I immediately brought this to gravedigger’s attention in the hope that things will be fixed soon,” said Ahmad on May 22.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO SURVIVE. DONATE RS 100, 500, 1K OR MORE TO SAVE COMMUNITY JOURNALISM: JUST CLICK TO PAY
In the photos which he shared with the OT it could be seen then that some newly placed graves in dilapidated state. Though a natural thing and practically unavoidable, especially during monsoon, residents lamented that care should have been taken and the graves not left in this state for days. On May 26, Ershad told the OT that for the last two days he has not visited the graveyard but yes they had put some mud on the graves.
The downpour weakened the burial grounds. Kashif Shehzad who visited his father’s grave during the same period was left shocked to see the state.
“I lost my father Istaique Ahmad Akbari on May 3 and he was laid to rest the same day at the Shaheen Bagh graveyard. Since then, I have been visiting my father’s grave a few times to pay my respect and pray for his maghfarat. On May 22, I was shocked to see the bad state in which the graves were after the recent storm and rain. Many graves caved in. The wooden planks which are used as the first layer of cover were missing or had fallen as a result of which garbage or rain water had seeped into the graves. A lot of other graves are losing a lot of soil from the top and a lot of cavities are being formed in them,” he said.
Another resident Azfar Tarique said he was deeply upset after seeing the condition of the grave of his mother. “On that day as far as I could see some 10 graves were in bad shape. I expect the committee to take immediate action and fix them,” he said on May 22.
