Mathura waqf graveyard row : Committee calls Rs 100 compensation per damaged grave an ‘insult to the dead’
The management committee of Kabristan Ahle Muslimeen in Mathura has strongly objected to the administration’s decision to assess compensation of Rs 100 for each damaged grave after a bulldozer allegedly entered the waqf graveyard and damaged multiple graves during civic work in April. Calling the compensation shocking and an insult to the dead, the committee have demanded accountability and an independent inquiry into the incident.
According to the graveyard committee, the incident occurred on the night of April 26 when Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam bulldozer allegedly entered the 117-year-old waqf graveyard in Manoharpura while work was being carried out near a government water tank. The committee alleged that nine graves were damaged after the machine entered the premises from the northern side. The JCB reportedly belonged to a private company engaged by the civic body.
A member of the graveyard committee, criticised the compensation assessed by the administration. He claimed the authorities valued each damaged grave, tree and concrete pillar at Rs 100 each. The member said the incident caused severe damage, with crushed graves, exposed burial shrouds and visible skeletal remains. He questioned whether such a valuation reflected the dignity of those buried there.
However, the Nagar Nigam said the civic body acted on the assessment prepared by the concerned department. The local body stated that the compensation was calculated according to existing norms and official directions. The body also said the Nagar Nigam does not support damage to religious or burial sites and that contractors have been instructed to exercise caution while carrying out government works.
A local resident described the compensation as insensitive and alleged that those responsible for the damage had not been held accountable. Meanwhile, Jamaluddin Khan, the 89-year-old president of the graveyard committee, said the cemetery is a notified waqf property recorded with the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board. He said he has managed the graveyard for nearly three decades and expressed concern over what he described as growing official apathy.
Following the April incident, Jamaluddin submitted a complaint through the Uttar Pradesh government’s Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS).
Although the complaint was initially closed after the Nagar Nigam submitted its response, it was reportedly reopened after adverse feedback was filed. Documents cited in the report show that the Nagar Swasthya Adhikari directed the private company to issue cheques of Rs 2,600 and Rs 900 to the graveyard while cautioning it against similar incidents in future. The graveyard caretaker said three of the nine damaged graves required extensive repairs, including filling with soil and replacing slabs.
The matter has since gained momentum through an online signature campaign that has petitioned the district administration, municipal commissioner, senior superintendent of police and waqf authorities, seeking an independent inquiry and reopening of the grievance. The petition alleges that the earlier complaint was closed on the basis of an incomplete or misleading report.