Hindu son, Muslim daughter seek mother’s body for final rites, Police give it to both
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Hyderabad: A potential dispute, which could have escalated between two siblings practising different religions over the right to hold funeral rites for their 95-year-old deceased mother, emerged on Tuesday in Hyderabad's Madannapet before the police settled the matter amicably.
As people began to gather on street corners, sensing the tension in the air, the local police swiftly intervened to defuse the situation. Hours were spent verifying facts, examining documents, and engaging in consultations to reach an agreeable resolution.
According to a report published in The Indian Express, the incident took place in the Darab Jung colony, where the son and grandchildren of the deceased woman sought the right to conduct the final rituals in accordance with Hindu traditions.
However, the woman's daughter, who converted to Islam twenty years ago and is in her sixties, argued that since she had been the one caring for her ailing mother over the past twelve years, and her mother had also embraced Islam, she should be granted the right to perform the funeral according to Islamic rituals.
The daughter told reporters that her mother had willingly adopted Islam, expressing her final wish to be laid to rest in accordance with their religious customs.
The escalating crowd, comprising individuals from both communities, prompted the police to deploy forces to the area during the night. Ch. Rupesh, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East), refuted claims of tension, emphasizing that the police had successfully resolved the family dispute amicably.
Honouring the daughter's wishes, the final prayers were conducted at her residence, following which the body was entrusted to the son's family for cremation, as per their preference.
According to the Madannapet police, the elderly woman passed away due to an age-related illness on Tuesday evening. One of her two sons had already passed away, and she had been living with her daughter in Madannapet.
The daughter provided videos and documents as evidence of her mother's conversion to Islam in January 2023. After carefully verifying all the details and consulting with community elders, the body was handed over to the son's family for cremation, following the completion of final prayers by the daughter's family, in accordance with their respective traditions, explained B. Janaiah, the station house officer of Madannapet police station.
