Graveyard mafia operating in Rajouri.

GNS Report Rajouri, Oct 11: With graveyard mafia operating in Rajouri, atleast 45 kanals of graveyards of the Muslim community have reportedly reduced to 14 kanals. The available space is occupied by the graves and now there is almost no space available for burial of more dead bodies. Having population of 25000 Muslims in the town of Rajouri, there are three graveyards viz Jawahar Nagar, Bus Stand and Rani Graveyard. All these burial grounds have reportedly been occupied with the graves and now there is any space available for burial of more dead bodies. Majority of the area of these graveyards were allegedly encroached by the locals from time to time. As per the sources in revenue department, Jawahar Nagar graveyard was donated by the people in year 1930 and as per the sources it was 12 kanals at that time. Presently the graveyard is reduced to 4 kanals. The remaining 8 kanals, according to sources, is illegally occupied by many local residents. "The graveyard was 12 kanals at the time of 1947 partition but it has been reduced to only 4 kanals and the encroachment was made by the residents from time to time. Fully packed with the graves, this graveyard has no space left for a single grave and the Muslims of this area are buring their dead bodies some 4 kilometer away in Bus Stand area but this graveyard is also not sufficient to accommodate 50 more bodies. Bus Stand graveyard according to locals was atleast 20 kanals but the same has remain only 5 kanals. Locals said that few people have encroached the land and constructed commercial and domestic structures on it. They alleged that the authorities are well aware about the encroachment but no step has been taken to vacate it. There is another graveyard adjacent to Bus Stand area which is one of the oldest graveyards in Rajouri that has been reduced from 20 kanals to 5 kanals by the locals. As per the elderly people, the graveyard commonly known as Rani Graveyard was donated by the people in 1800 year. According to locals the graveyard was donated by the Jaral families who used to bury the dead bodies of only women in it and is why it is named after Rani Graveyard. Jaral family had governed Rajouri from the year 1194 to 1846. Though vary few people have realized that there is a need to vacate these graveyards from the encroachers and have some more graveyards yet majority of the Muslims think that the coming generation will manage its own. Expressing concern over the shrinking of graveyard in Rajouri, President of Muslim Youth Federation, Shafqat Wani said that authorities should immediately work out the area of these graveyards and should vacate the area from the encroachers. He said that a committee be framed to work out the area of these graveyards. He said that encroachment of religious places will not be tolerated and those who have occupied the land should immediately leave it.