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Change Makers: Meet the man who buried over 10,000 unclaimed dead bodies in Jharkhand

For the last 14 years, Mohammed Khalid has served the community in silence by cremating and burying unclaimed dead bodies according to their religion, and has performed the last rites for more than 10,000 bodies so far.

Change Makers: Meet the man who buried over 10,000 unclaimed dead bodies in JharkhandRANCHI: For the past 14 years, Mohammed Khalid has served the community in silence by cremating and burying unclaimed dead bodies according to their religion, and has performed last rites for more than 10,000 bodies so far.

Khalid says whatever life a person may have led, he needs to get a dignified exit from this world. Khalid, a science graduate and trained pathologist, has done this social service on his own without any government or other organization funding.

Nevertheless, a local cloth merchant provides free-of-cost shrouds for the dead bodies, while some other men, whom he calls – ‘Dharm Bhai,’ have late begun helping him in this noble cause by giving cremation donations.

It all started by chance when he worked as a cleaning supervisor at Sadar Hospital in Hazaribagh some 14 years ago, where her family members dumped an old lady suffering from leprosy there and there was no one to execute her last rights.

“When no one came forward, I cremated the dead body in my own nearby crematorium that changed my life as it gave me a sense of immense fulfillment and then and there I decided to take this noble cause forward by offering a dignified exit from this world to those who may not have lived a decent life here,” Md Khalid said.

All round gratitude from family, colleagues, and administration served as a encouragement to follow this noble cause which he added. “Today, in the last 14 years, I have performed the last rights of no less than 10,000 dead bodies in the districts of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Chatra and Ramgarh Jharkhand,” Khalid said.

Looking at his dedication, at many locations in Hazaribagh, the district administration has released a notice asking them to contact Md Khalid if they have any problems with the cremation or burial of dead bodies, he said.

Md Khalid not only gives unclaimed bodies, but also performs last rights for those neo-natal children who die in hospital during their birth and there is no one to take care of them. Several other people later shared their desire to support him in this noble cause too.

“We also make it a point to immerse the ashes of those dead bodies in Varanasi or prey for them in the mosque and church according to their religion, to ensure a dignified exit to the dying person,” Khalid said. Often affiliated with Khalid is Tapas Chakravarty, a former professor at St. Columba College in Hazaribagh, along with other individuals-Ashish Singh, Md Naseem and Mukesh Ram.

“When I see Khalid it makes me feel proud to be his instructor,” Chakravarty said. The job that he did is really commendable, he said. According to Chakravarty, there is possibly only one mortuary in India which is owned by Khalid and he, two private individuals.

“For 13 long years Khalid had battled with the administration for the mortuary that is in Sadar hospital, fully operated by us,” the retired professor said. Without the assistance of the Hazaribagh people, who have now started voluntarily donating for cremation, it would not have been possible, he added.

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