Now Panchayat in Nirana Village of District Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh bans graveyard space for migrant Muslims

Now Panchayat in Nirana Village of District Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh bans graveyard space for migrant Muslims

MUZAFFARNAGAR, LUCKNOW, INDIA: Panchayats of western UP are known for issuing bizarre and at times unconstitutional diktats. Now a Panchayat in Muzaffarnagar has come up with yet another one. A community Panchayat of Nirana village has issued an order banning migrant Muslim families from burying their deceased relatives at the public graveyard.

According to reports, the Nirana village Panchayat, after a meeting decided that burial of only those who have lived in the village for more than 30 years will be allowed in the graveyard. Shortage of space in the graveyard due to a growing number of migrants in the village was cited as the main reason for the directive.

In most cases, the government machinery does not act against Panchayats issuing such harsh diktats but fortunately in this case, the district administration of Muzaffarnagar reacted. Officials of the district administration said that Panchayat's decision will not be followed and action will be taken against those found guilty.

According to the officials who visited the village, Nirana has a huge graveyard which was recently divided into three parts by the villagers for burial as per their castes. However, the number of people settled in the village registered a sharp increase over the last few years thereby finding burial space at the graveyard a difficult task.

Muslim clerics, however, have criticized the diktat. UP Imam Organization President Mr. Mufti Zulfikar Ali, while talking to media persons, said that the order of the village Panchayat was against the law and the tenets of Islam. He said that every Muslim has the right to bury the deceased of his family at the public graveyard.

Recently, a Panchayat in village Asra of Baghpat had banned love marriages and barred women from carrying mobile phones and venturing out of the house without a male escort. Those who disagreed were told to leave the village. Many politicians across all parties have supported the Panchayat.

Reference By: timesofindia.com