Burial rights: Hindu graveyard unused after unrest over opening

The SC had asked the government to restore it for use of Balmiki Hindu community

LAHORE:

A Balmiki Hindu community graveyard in the city has been lying unused for over a year after a demonstration led by a local cleric had prevented its inauguration planned for May 24, 2014.

In its order of August 12, 2012, the SC had asked the city government to remove encroachments from the graveyard located on GT Road near the Cooperative Store bus stop and restore it for the community’s use.

A community representative complained that though the graveyard was restored in its original form, the government had caved in to pressure from the cleric at a nearby mosque, Qari Razaul Mustafa, and cancelled the inauguration.

Amar Nath Randhawa, the Hindu Sudhar Sabha secretary general, said the cleric had led a crowd to the site and held a demonstration two days before the inauguration date. Randhawa said there were around 400 Hindus in the city. The graveyard had been in their families’ use for decades, he said. “We would want the government to keep control of the facility and let us [Hindu families] use it for burial of our dead,” he said. He said the community lacked the influence needed to maintain the facility on its own. “We fear that we will not be able to ensure security of the graveyard from miscreants who may attempt to encroach upon it,” he said. Randhawa said he had been receiving death threats from unidentified people since he took up the matter of encroachments at the graveyard. Last week, his request for protection was granted by the court and the police were ordered to assign an official for his security.

Qari Razaul Mustafa said he had protested against the graveyard’s inauguration because he was opposed to use of the facility for other religious rituals (besides burial). He said the Hindu community should use the graveyard only to bury their dead. “They [the community] should not be allowed to use it to hold other rituals. There is no Hindu population in this neighbourhood. The use of the facility for other religious rituals will disturb Muslim residents of the area,” he said.

Mustafa said the case had been decided in favour of the Hindu community by (late) Justice (r) Rana Bhagwandas [Justice Bhagwandas was not part of the two-member SC bench that had heard the case]. The cleric also alleged that the Hindu community intended to build a temple at the facility.

Asked why the government could not implement SC’s directive, Tariq Masih Gill, parliamentary secretary for Ministry of Human Rights and Minorities Affairs, said the Hindu Sudhar Sabha had stopped a delegation from the ministry, including him, to visit the facility for inauguration. “They had said there could be unrest in the area and asked us to stay away from the scene,” he said. Gill said he was willing to take up the matter with high ups if a formal complaint was lodged with his office for the purpose. He observed that the community would not get possession of the graveyard till it took initiative in the matter.

DSP Usman Haider, who said he had mediated a settlement between the parties last year, said that besides the Hindu community the graveyard had been used (for burial of dead) by some Christian families. He claimed that the dispute over the graveyard’s use had started after some Hindu families brought their dead for cremation. He said the use of the graveyard had been restricted since partition to burial of those who died under 10 years of age or above 100 years of age.

The DSP said he planned to call a meeting of the parties in the coming week and try to settle the dispute. He claimed that the inauguration of the graveyard had been postponed last year and keys to its entrance given to the cleric after consultation with representatives of both Hindus and Christians. Randhawa denied that he had been consulted on the matter.

In its order dated August 12, 2012, the SC had given a month to the Punjab chief secretary, the Lahore Development Authrty director general and the DCO Lahore to ensure removal of encroachments from the site. The court had also sought reports from chief secretaries of all four provinces on the condition of other graveyards of the Balmiki community.

Following the directive, the CDGL had spent Rs3.3 million on construction of a boundary wall, a facility for funeral service and toilets and installation of a gate at the entrance.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2015.