A group of 60 Tablighi Jamaat members cremated/buried over 500 bodies so far. They have been carrying out cremation and funerals of covid-19 patients in Tirupati city of Andhra Pradesh.
The team has been conducting funerals of at least 15 bodies daily for the last month, irrespective of the religion and community of the covid-19 patients.
“Last year, many blamed some of us for the Covid-19 pandemic, now everyone is appreciating us,” said JMD Gouse while speaking to the News Minutes.
“We conduct the funerals based on the religious traditions. If the deceased is Hindu, we put a cloth and garland of flowers, if Christian we put the body into a coffin and call Church’s father to arrange a prayer and if the deceased is a Muslim we hold a Janaze ki Namaz (rituals),” Gouse explained.
Gouse along with some like-minded people founded the Covid-19 Joint Action Committee (JAC) under the Tirupati United Muslim Association, to address Covid-19 related issues and conducting funerals following the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
He coordinates with 60 volunteers every day based on requests, he gets on his phone to carry out funerals of the deceased.
60 volunteers are divided into three teams and each team is assigned at least four-five bodies daily.
With contributions from people in Tabligi Jamat, Gouse is arranging for PPE on their own.