A cemetery in Bhopal’s Jahangirabad area has dug up a dozen graves in advance as a precaution amid safety guidelines in place for last rites of bodies which have no confirmation on coronavirus infection.

The locality is a coronavirus red zone. As of now, there have been at least nine deaths and over 200 cases. The Jhadawalllah Kabristan in Jahangirabad has prepared as many as 12 graves in advance in case multiple bodies arrive in succession.

Md Rehan, head of Kabristan Committee in Jahangirabad, said that they receive bodies from a state-run mega healthcare centre in Bhopal, Hamidia Hospital. However, they have no idea about their COVID-19 infection status. They are also required to complete the last rites swiftly.

‘At times we get more than one body and 25-30 people accompanying the funeral procession overcrowd the facility which is dangerous as per safety guidelines,’ News18 quoted Md Rehan as saying.

Md Rehan added that after they received six bodies in a single day – four from Hamidia Hospital and two from Chirayu Hospital, which is a COVID-19 hospital, the committee approached the municipal corporation for JCB machines.

‘These machines dig basic pits, and our boys complete the task of digging up the grave,’ Rehan said. He claimed that it is hard to find labourers right now, and a single grave takes about four hours of digging.

Also Read: Two Railway Protection Force Personnel Rape 16-Yr-Old Girl In Delhi; Arrested