Mumbai: Two former trustees of Mumbai’s Bada Kabrastan, which was in the news for the beautification of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon’s grave, have alleged that his brother and fugitive gangster Tiger Memon exerts influence on the graveyard and that burial spaces are being sold to affluent families at a hefty price.
Among those who have burial spaces reserved for family members are the kin of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim. According to one report, Dawood’s family booked slots for burial at Bada Kabrastan way back in 1982.
Bada Kabrastan made headlines last month after a viral video showed marble tiles and LED lights at Yakub’s grave. Kabrastan officials said the lights were installed in March and the marble tiles three years ago at the behest of Yakub’s cousin Rauf. Yakub was hanged in 2015 for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had attacked each other over the beautification of Yakub’s grave. While the BJP claimed it was done when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was in power in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena said that it was the central government which handed Yakub’s body to his family.
In his petition filed in the Bombay High Court in January 2021, Hanif Nalkhande, a former trustee of the Juma Masjid Trust which runs Bada Kabrastan, had alleged interference by Tiger Memon’s family in the trust’s day-to-day affairs.
The HC took cognizance of the complaint in July and directed the Maharashtra Waqf Board to probe the claims and file a reply within six months, Nalkhande said.
Shoaib Khatib, a trustee of the Juma Masjid Trust, told ThePrint that an “internal inquiry” is underway to probe the claims over Yakub’s grave.
He, however, refuted Nalkhande’s allegations. Shoaib further claimed that the allegations were a result of the infighting among the former and current trust members.
In 2018, Juma Masjid Trust manager Najib Tungekar — in a complaint to the LT Marg Police Station — alleged theft of trust records and use of forged documents. Tungekar had accused some trustees of illegally allotting ottas (burial space) to some families either by destroying existing records or by issuing ‘annual maintenance receipts’.
No action was taken against the culprits despite highlighting these issues with the trust several times, he had said.
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‘Illegal allotment, overcharging during Covid’
Located at Marine Lines, the Bada Kabrastan is spread over an area of approximately 8.5 acre. Legendary actor Nargis Dutt and mafia gang leaders Haji Mastan and Karim Lala are among those buried here.
For administrative purposes, the burial area is divided into three parts — those for registered otta holders, Bage Rehmat (burial space for Muslims) and Ganj-e-Saheedan (reserved for the burial of unclaimed bodies).
Earlier, registered otta holders had to pay annual maintenance fees and a register with their names was maintained at the trust office. This was a systematic pre-booking or allotment of burial spaces for families who wanted to maintain burial space for future use. This practice was stopped after 1984, but the trust continued to serve the registered otta holders to avoid hurting sentiments, said Shoaib.
During the Covid pandemic, many families had alleged that kabrastan officials were charging Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 for single burial space, according to the former trust members. Families usually pay nominal charges, including those to gravediggers, they said.
“In those difficult days, no one would have willingly paid a large amount of money, but they paid it for the burial of their loved ones, and that too, it is reported, was against any valid receipt. People were calling me and pleading for intervention as they were unable to pay such large amounts. I would call the trust office daily, informing them about the malpractices but nothing has been done,” Nalkhande claimed.
Rubbishing these allegations, Shoaib told ThePrint: “No one was charged for the burial space during Covid, and the trust managed everything on its own.”
“People who wished to donate have done so according to their own will, and no one forced them in any way. The otta allotments were done before my tenure as a trustee, and no new ottas have been given out to anyone,” the trustee member added.
Maharashtra Waqf Board chairman Wajahat Mirza confirmed that the board has received complaints about alleged irregularities at Bada Kabrastan.
“In an order by the high court, the board was asked to carry out inquiries into the various complaints against the Juma Masjid Trust and to file a report within six months. The allegations are being investigated and necessary action will be taken,” he told ThePrint.
‘Rauf Memon encroached burial spaces’
Nalkhande alleged that Tiger Memon’s cousin Rauf encroached on 18-20 burial spaces for his kin instead of the four allotted to him earlier, adding that the allotments to the Memon family were made after September 2019. He added that Rauf got a power meter issued in his name and got it installed at the graveyard.
Regarding the beautification of Yakub’s grave, Nalkhande said that such permission is granted by the board of trustees on request. A kin of the deceased has to pay prescribed charges for temporary electricity connection for cutting and polishing of marble or granite, he added.
“It is very surprising that Yakub’s cousin [Rauf] was granted permission to provide marble for the entire area of 18-20 burial spaces, some of which are meant for use by general members. And under what circumstances did the board of trustees consent to installing LED lights at Yakub’s grave and a separate meter? This has to be in connivance with the trustees,” alleged Nalkhande.
Another former trustee Jazeel Naurange claimed that he was ousted from the trust in August 2020 for opposing the allotment of extra burial slots to the Memon family.
“Rauf Memon himself says that he has paid money for the burial space. What more proof do they require?” he claimed. Naurange, who claims that Tiger Memon has pumped money in the form of donations, told ThePrint: “In case anyone complains, he is immediately silenced by money or power.”
“Tiger [Memon] sends in money for the maintenance of these graves. I started objecting to these illegal activities being done in the trust’s name. My life was made miserable. I received threatening calls. … I even complained to the LT Marg Police but as the pandemic was at its peak, nothing was done,” he claimed.
But, Shoaib Khatib, the trustee member mentioned above, refuted all the allegations. “Linking the kabrastan to Tiger Memon is wrong. We have nothing to do with him. We don’t accept foreign donations. The trust has many properties which generate enough revenue. We don’t need anyone’s money. Secondly, Rauf was introduced [to the trust] by Naurange. He had sold the graves to him and later even sold the same to another family for a higher price. There are FIRs against Naurange and Nalkhande [who was booked in a separate case]. One of their agents, who took the pre-bookings of graves, was arrested in 2020,” he claimed.
Bada Kabrastan accepted 1,200 Covid bodies at the time of pandemic, he said.
“Why didn’t anyone go to the police or other authorities if they had complaints? And if we are related to the underworld, then what are government agencies doing? Why aren’t they taking any action?”
The entire kabrastan was decorated at the night of Shab-e-Miraj while only Yakub’s grave was shown, Shoaib claimed.
“Why didn’t they [the media] show the other graves? Granite work had started in 2016 and it was done as a part of a beautification programme of the entire graveyard. What wrong did we do? The trust works within a legal framework and nothing illegal takes place,” the trustee claimed, adding that the Juma Masjid Trust was open to scrutiny by any agency.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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