In Delhi burial grounds, a tightrope between closure and caution

Until Covid-19 hit Delhi, he had never seen human bodies being treated like “untouchable objects”, says Mohammad Shamim, the 38- year-old supervisor at Jadid Qabristan Ahle Islam, a graveyard near Delhi Gate

In many cases, even their own sons are reluctant to carry the dead on their shoulders for laying them to rest at the cemetery, Shamim adds.

“I am the third generation of my family working here, but we have never seen people being so afraid of touching the bodies of their relatives. The other day, a few relatives of a man who died of Covid-19 came to attend the burial, but some of them got scared and left as soon as the hospital van carrying the body arrived at the cemetery gate. In another case, a few neighbours of a person who died of Covid-19 had to come for the burial, as relatives refused to join.”

Shamim has overseen burial of 26 Covid-19 victims.The disease has now claimed 45 lives and infected 2,003 others in Delhi. The administration is enforcing a strict lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus, and all funerals have to be in line with procedures laid down by the government.

Shamim manages a team of gravediggers, gardeners, and security guards at the cemetery. His job is to ensure that all the burials at the cemetery take place smoothly. These days, he says, his job has become “dangerous” and “challenging” because he is supervising the burial of Covid-19 victims almost every day. On Friday, four; and on Saturday two victims of Covid-19 were buried at the cemetery.

The cemetery office, he says, gets calls from the Capital’s designated Covid-19 hospitals with details of patients who have died. The bodies then arrive at the cemetery in a hearse provided by the hospitals in line with the Delhi government’s Standard Operating Procedure. Similar rules and guidelines apply to crematoriums.

“Bodies generally come after noon, but two hours before the bodies arrive, the relatives come for a briefing about how the burial will proceed,” said Shamim, who lives in a house within the cemetery. “ I advise them to bring personal protection suits, gloves, masks, sanitisers, and ropes to lower the body into the grave,” he added.

The cemetery has earmarked a separate area for the burial of Covid 19 victims -- a large clearing about 150 metres away from the main burial site.

“ In a normal burial, the grave is dug by our gravedigger; and it is generally three feet deep. But for the Covid-19 victims, the grave is 10 feet deep, and we have to use earth-moving machines to dig the graves,” said Shamim.

“Traditionally, the relatives lower the body into the grave with their own hands after performing prayers, but in case of Covid 19 victims, the body is tied with ropes and lowered into the grave, ” he added on a WhatApp call with HT on Friday.

In Islamic tradition, a burial is a simple yet personal ceremony. Before the body is laid to rest, those attending the funeral are allowed to have a look at the face of the dead, and to say a personal prayer for the soul of the departed. Relatives of the dead help place the body in the grave.

Covid-19 has changed all that.

The body of a Covid 19 victim, Shamim says, has now arrived, and switches to a video call to show us live what transpires.

Shamim, who has long, floppy hair, is wearing a white cap, a mask and gloves — and standing about 50 metres from the grave. With him is the operator of the earthmoving machine, who has dug the grave in advance. About nine men are at the burial site, including the two health care workers in personal protective gear who have come with the hearse, parked a few metres away.

Two of the mourners are in protective suits. They are the only ones near the body — others, all wearing masks, are standing a few metres away, but come closer to the body, maintaining distance, when the prayers are performed. The two men in protective suits try to tie the rope to the feet and chest to lower the body into the grave. They seem to fumble, and Shamim shouts to the men, keeping the video call on.

“Not like this. Lift the body a bit,” he is heard saying.

Finally, the men in protective suits manage to tie the ropes. The need help to lower the body into the deep grave. No one volunteers for a while, and then a relative comes forward. Finally, the three men manage to lower the body into its final resting place.

He now tells the operator of the earthmover to cover the grave. The burial is over in less than 30 minutes. Shamim switches to a voice call as he walks back towards the cemetery’s office.

“Usually, we help the dead person’s relatives with the burial, but I am scared to get close to the bodies of Covid-19 victims. When I return home late in the evening, I take a bath with water mixed with antiseptic liquid before entering my house. I am worried about the safety of my four daughters and wife,” sais Shamim. “The scenes from the burial haunt me day and night. It is the saddest way to leave the world.”

Haji Faiyazuddin, the secretary of the managing committee at Jadid Qabristan Ahle Islam, says that the staff is following all the guidelines laid down by both the state and central governments, including the precautions that have to be taken by employees of the cemetery.

“We decided to earmark a part of the cemetery to Covid-19 victims so that relatives of victims do not face problems. We do not charge fee from them. Eventually, we will cover the Covid-19 burial area with a wall; the structure will serve as a reminder of what the city went through,” he said.