Muslims help perform last rites of Hindu man in Tumakaru

Communal amity to the fore as 10 Muslim youths reach out to the poor family in Tumakuru

Helping hands: Muslim youth shifting the body of the deceased person in Tumakuru on Tuesday.

Ten Muslim youth helped a Hindu family to perform the last rites of a person in the sealed down area in Tumakuru on Tuesday.

At a time when people are not ready to touch anyone out of fear of contracting the COVID-19 infection, 10 Muslim youth who have been identified as ‘CORONA warriors’ in the Tilak Park police station limits provided the necessary help and financial assistance to the poor Hindu family of K.H.B. Colony, where a 60-year-old man died due to age-related illness on Tuesday.

Narayana Rao, 60, a physically challenged person, was working as a tailor. He died on Tuesday. Relatives could not come due to the lockdown. K.H.B. Colony has been completely sealed after a man died due to COVID-19 and a couple, his neighbours, tested positive.

Mohammed Khalid rushed to his friend, H.N. Puneeth Kumar Rao’s house after he came to know that Narayana Rao, his father, had died. He called his fellow Corona Warriors and supported the family in their moment of grief. All the ten Muslim youth, including Imran, Tipu, Sheru, Sharuq, Thoufiq, Mansoor and Mohammed Khalid went to the house of the deceased and told them that they would make all the arrangements to shift the body and conduct the last rites.

Mr. Mohammed Khalid told The Hindu , “Our friend Imran gave ₹5,000 to the family and we carried the body from the house to the ambulance.”

He said the deceased person’s younger brother and two sons (nephews), who stay in the colony, were not ready to come to arrange the last rites out of fear of contracting the infection.

They convinced them that Narayana Rao had tested negative for COVID-19 four days ago and persuaded them to come to the house of the deceased.

He said they would have gone to the cremation ground, but did not go as they were in the sealed down area. He thanked the district administration for extending cooperation.

Mr. Puneeth Kumar told The Hindu , “My Muslim brothers helped us and looked after us so well. They assured us of making the necessary arrangements and stayed awake with us the whole night.”