PTI<\/em>, Irfana Iqbal, the development chairperson of the Kasaragod district panchayat, said Narayanan was found in a weak and starving condition on the veranda of a shop here about a month ago.<\/p>\nShe said the matter was brought to her attention by a ward member. Based on that, she informed the District Collector and the District Medical Officer. She also arranged for providing him with primary care and shifting him to the hospital with the help of volunteers of a charitable foundation,<\/p>\n
After Narayanan died, the local police informed his relatives, but they were unwilling to claim the body, she said. They, however, authorised Iqbal to receive the body and perform the funeral rites.<\/p>\n
Visuals of burqah-clad Iqbal performing Hindu rituals go viral<\/p>\n
\u201cWe received the body and conducted the final rites at a Hindu crematorium here as per his religious beliefs,\u201d she said. Iqbal herself led the last rites at a Hindu public crematorium in Uppala.<\/p>\n
The visuals of the purdah-clad panchayat member performing the Hindu funeral rituals soon went viral on social media.<\/p>\n
In a Facebook post on Friday, June 26, Iqbal said, \u201cNo close relative came. I performed Narayanettan\u2019s last rites as a daughter. Humanity is above religion and politics\u201d. She said that she hoped to continue extending support to more abandoned elderly people.<\/p>\n
Iqbal also said there was no objection from her community as they used to conduct the last rites of orphaned inmates of the charitable foundation according to their respective faiths.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Kasaragod Lok Sabha MP Rajmohan Unnithan, on a Facebook post, described Iqbal as \u201ca symbol of a new era in public service and a source of hope\u201d.<\/p>\n
Calling her act as opening \u201ca shop of love in the marketplace of hatred\u201d, Unnithan congratulated her for the gesture.<\/p>\n
Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp<\/em> & Telegram <\/em>by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 Kerala: Muslim panchayat member performs last rites of Hindu Kasaragod: A Muslim woman panchayat member has performed the last rites of a Hindu man according to his customs in northern Kasaragod after his family declined to claim the body following his death from cancer. The woman\u2019s gesture has drawn widespread appreciation on social media.…
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