The coronavirus pandemic has brought to fore the stories of frontline workers who are working on the ground level despite all the risks.
From doctors and nurses to civic workers and police, these stories are full of dedication and selfless service. ScoopWhoop Unscripted recently spoke to a grave digger in Delhi to bring to their viewers the ugly truth of the pandemic.
Mohammed Shameen, the cemetery supervisor at Jadid Qabristan Ahle Islam in Delhi, is a third-generation cemetery worker.
He has buried over 200 COVID-19 victims in his cemetery, till now. Talking to ScoopWhoop Unscripted, Shameen claimed that no one in his family has ever seen this kind of situation before.
In the video, Shameen can be heard talking to a victim’s family about how many of them would be coming for the last rites. As an aware and responsible frontline warrior, he advises them not to get older people to the cemetery, as they are more vulnerable.
With immense fear around even touching the bodies of COVID victims, Shameen revealed how family members of the dead or the hospital staff aren’t ready to unload the body.
Sabse jyada afsos toh yeh dekh ke hota hai ki body ko lekar aate hai ambulance vale. Family vale idhar khade hote hai aur vo udhar. Ek doosre ko bolte rehte hai tu utaar body ko, tu utaar. Koi utaarne ko hi raazi nahi hai.
According to Shameen, even the cemetery workers have been asked to stay away from the bodies and thus he only guides the hospital staff.
The graves at his cemetery are dug using excavators and he charges nothing for the burial. People have to only pay to the men operating the JCB machines.
It’s been a while since Shameen hasn’t seen his kids. He has sent them to stay with his parents as he lives with his wife with utmost precautions.
The cemetery which is spread over an area of 2 acres is already filled upto 50% of its capacity. And Shameen feels that if the rate of deaths continues like this, the cemetery will soon be full.
You can watch the complete video here.