85 Muslim families to shun polls in Arkalgud taluk

As many as 85 Muslim families residing in Ramanathapura in Arkalgud taluk have resolved to boycott the Assembly elections over not being granted government land to bury their dead.

The families, with 340 voters, have been fighting for a burial ground for 10 years. Whenever one of their kin dies, they have to bury the body in neighbouring villages.

The Ramanthapura Jameya Masjid Committee, which met on April 6, took a unanimous decision to boycott the elections. The meeting also took serious exception to Minister for Sericulture and Animal Husbandry A. Manju, MLA for Arkalgud, who had made a promise to grant land for burial ground but failed to keep it. With no land to bury the dead as per the customs of the religion, the senior members of the community wish to stay put with their children settled in other places, where burial grounds are available. The Hindu carried a report on the issue on January 20, 2017.

Munawar, president of the committee, said that in the past 10 years 15 people from the community have died. “Whenever a person died, we prayed that the residents of neighbouring villages would allow us to bury them. How long should we continue to be at the mercy of other villagers?” he asked.

There have been times when neighbouring villagers have refused to allow them to use their burial grounds. The 80-year-old Saidubi died in 2011 and her family had to request residents of the neighbouring village of Konanuru to bury her. But the villagers refused. Her relatives subsequently staged a protest with the dead body in front of the office of the Revenue Department. The taluk administration intervened and pacified the protesters by assuring them of suitable land and allowed the final rites to be held.