Fatality Rate Increases, Delhi’s Graveyard Clears Space For COVID-19 Victims

The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in India has surpassed 6.6 million with over 100,000 deaths. In the national capital, the number of people dying is still increasing. So far, more than 2,90,000 people have tested positive with the virus and 5,581 people have died. Because of the increased fatality rate, workers at Delhi’s oldest cemetery, “Jadid Qabristan Ahle Islam,” have had to clear space to bury COVID-19 victims.

Head gravedigger Mohammad Shamim, said in an interview with Reuters that they didn’t expect to have to clear area for more graves.

A report suggests that the number of daily corpses has dropped, from 10 to four bodies per day. However, the cemetery is still lacking spaces. The cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Delhi. It was built in 1924.

According to Mohammad, for the last eight months, while they had to do so much work, there hasn’t been any support from the government regarding personal protective equipment. Mohammad is in charge of burying the dead bodies of COVID-19 patients in Delhi. He began his work just two days after the national lockdown. And since then, he has buried hundreds of bodies.

The story reminds us of Ramananda Sarkar who earns a living by through the cremation of the dead. The stigma attached to this work was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 100,000 deaths out of the 6.4 million recorded cases of illness in India.

Although his work contributes to the safety of the community, his private life continues to get worse. He was asked to move out by his innkeeper and wasn't allowed to return home to visit his family for handling the corpses of COVID-19 victims.

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