Women volunteers from the Muslim community are fearlessly engaged in giving dignified farewell to the dead bodies of Muslim women, including that of Covid victims from the community, in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
The all-woman teams that were active during the pandemic last year, have again come forward to ensure a dignified burial to women Covid victims. The members had conducted the final rites of the Covid victims in Bajpe and Bantwal recently.
Such teams of volunteers, under the aegis of the National Women’s Front (NWF), have been constituted across the state including all the taluks in Dakshina Kannada. Each team has five to six members in it. There are four to five teams in Mangaluru and Bantwal taluks, two to three teams in Puttur, Belthangady and other areas, said Zeenath, NWF Karnataka state president to DH.
She said, “Initially, Covid victims’ bodies were not handed over to the family members. The last rites were performed by the government itself. We wanted to give a dignified farewell to the departed souls."
"The team of volunteers of NWF were imparted training by the experts in handling bodies of Covid victims and conducting the last rituals. Our volunteers have been conducting the final rites of Muslim women for the last few years,” she explained.
Our volunteers perform religious rituals for the bodies of the Covid-19 victims by complying with the funeral guidelines, added Zeenath.
Fathima Naseema, a housewife who has been a part of the team said “with Covid-19 victims, we need to be more cautious, careful by taking all precautionary measures. One should not have any fear and have confidence to engage in conducting the last rites of the victims.”
“We wear PPE kits and take all precautionary measures. For Covid victims, we conduct rituals of Tayammum instead of bathing the body. Not many had knowledge of Tayammum ritual. We underwent training in performing the last rites. The PPE kits are disposed of scientifically,” she added.
When the Covid pandemic hit the world, the National Women’s Front had initiated a statewide campaign ‘Let’s win Corona’ by distributing handbills in public places, said Zeenath.
On the number of last rites performed, Zeenath said, “The team has not really kept a count of it. Our team members go as and when they receive a request. About 100 last rites of Muslim women (both Covid and non-Covid) have been performed in the last one year.”