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In 2010, the graves of several people, including Mohammed Rafi, were buried over by authorities.
Thousands showed up to attend the funeral procession of singer Mohammed Rafi in 1980; often considered the greatest male playback singer in the history of Hindi cinema, Rafi died at the age of 55, after suffering from diabetes and heart ailments. He was buried at the Juhu Muslim Kabristan, and his funeral was attended by film industry personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra, and Amjad Khan. However, in 2010, the graves of many individuals, including Rafi, were reportedly buried under three feet of soil, to make room for a second layer of graves. Any permanent structures of grave markers were also removed. Rafi's son was in for a surprise a few months ago, after the passing of his brother-in-law. He said that he couldn't tell where his father was buried, considering that none of the graves were marked.
However, the groundskeeper assured him that he could identify the location. He also assured Rafi's son, Shahid, that his father's grave was the only one that hadn't been covered under a new layer of soil. In an interview with Vickey Lalwani, Shahid said that all the graves were 'removed' from the cemetery some years ago, and he couldn't interfere in the matter as it was concerning religion. "In our religion, one cannot construct a permanent grave. And after some time, it is permitted to bury a new body on top. It is usually an issue of space, but we're not talking about space, we're talking about the rules of Islam. You cannot construct a permanent structure on a grave," he said.
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Asked if he was upset, Shahid said, "No, how can I be upset when dad himself was such a God-fearing man. He wouldn't have minded himself. Fans were upset, but let me tell you something. My brother-in-law just expired four months back. We went to bury him at the same Juhu Kabristan. When the caretaker found out whose son I was, they took me to the office and offered me tea. I was listening to him. I remarked, 'I can't even tell where dad's grave is, everything has been razed'. The caretaker told me, 'Shahid bhai, don't worry. Whenever you come, I'll take you to the spot. And let me tell you, Rafi saab's grave was the only one that was left untouched. Every other grave was dug up, but not his'."
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Dilip Kumar's farewell with full State Honours and 21 Gun Salute at Juhu Kabristan in Mumbai.
Shahid said that the structure around the grave had been removed, but nobody else had been buried over it. "Only that man knows that Rafi saab's grave is untouched. That's a big thing. In fact, even I didn't know about this until four months ago. I had assumed the worst."
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Back in 2010, when the issue became controversial, Asgar Ali, president of the Muslim Majlis, told The Times of India, "Islamic law or Sharia does not permit the construction of memorials to the dead. Moreover, there is an acute shortage of space since the Muslim population in the area is expanding and everyone wants to be buried in our graveyard given how clean and high-profile it is. Poet Ali Sardar Jafri lived near Malabar Hill but he was brought here."
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Prithviraj Kapoor at Madhubala's former grave.
Madhubala's sister, Madhur Bhushan, was upset about the decision. "My father spent weeks and months at the graveyard getting artisans to craft it well," she said. "Why did they allow us to construct it then?" Trust secretary Qayyum Khan explained, "Every Muslim is equal before God; no concessions can be made for artistes and celebrities. We are forced to turn over the graves each year due to shortage of space."
Rafi's fans have found different ways to identify where he was buried. While the groundskeeper told Shahid that his father's remains remain untouched, a fan had told The Times of India in 2010 that they marked Rafi's gravesite through a tree. "A few years ago, the granite plaque was removed, so now we identify the coconut tree nearest to his grave and pray there," he said.
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