Rashid Qureshi and Waris Qureshi arranged cremation and supported the children; authorities later provide financial and educational assistance.
NEW DELHI/MAHARAJGANJ — The tragic death of 40-year-old Lavkumar in Nautanwa town in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh left his three children struggling to perform his last rites, wandering for hours with his body as help remained elusive.
Lavkumar, who lived alone after the death of his wife, had two sons and a daughter who lived with their grandmother. After returning home from hospital treatment, his health deteriorated, and he passed away last week.
His children reportedly sought assistance from neighbours and relatives, but no help was forthcoming. The elder son, 14, recalled the ordeal: “We were standing with a cart at the door. Many people came, but no one helped.”
Attempts to bury the body at the Muslim cemetery were refused due to the deceased being Hindu. The children, left desperate and alone, began collecting wood from passersby to arrange for the cremation themselves.
Finally, local Muslim citizens Rashid Qureshi and his relative Waris Qureshi stepped in. Rashid Qureshi described the situation: “I got a call on Monday at around 7 o’clock that a dead body was lying at Chhapwa Tiraha. Children were crying. But no one was helping. When I reached the spot, I saw that the body had swollen and was stinking. People did not even want to go near it. The family said that they were not getting any help from anywhere for two days.”
Rashid Qureshi immediately arranged for wood and oversaw the cremation at the local crematorium until midnight, performing the last rites according to Hindu customs. Waris Qureshi and other family members assisted.
“Humanity is above religion,” Rashid Qureshi told the BBC. “When children are standing alone and crying with their father’s dead body, it is a crime to remain silent.”
Following the incident, Nautanwa’s sub-district magistrate, Naveen Kumar, visited the children and assured immediate support. The administration provided financial assistance, ration supplies, and educational arrangements under the Bal Seva Yojana. “The children have become orphans. They have been included in the Bal Seva Yojana. As soon as the bank account is opened, each child will get Rs 5,000 per month. Till now they were not even going to school, but the administration has made arrangements for their education,” he said.
The SDM explained that the delay in assistance occurred because the deceased lived outside the Nagar Panchayat, and the authorities were initially unaware of his death.
