Even the abandoned deserve a decent adieu: Kerala Muslim woman who cremated ex-RSS worker
IUML leader Irfana Iqbal Uppala's act of humanity has been challenged by the BJP, which claims the cremation was performed by an RSS affiliate
A Muslim woman undertaking the cremation of a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, who died cancer-stricken and off family care, has become a shining example of communal harmony in Kerala.
Irfana Iqbal Uppala, a 34-year-old member of the Kasaragod district panchayat, performed the last rites of Narayanan Thottathodi, who died of oral cancer at the Kozhikode Government Medical College on June 26. The cremation took place in Thottathodi’s native village of Chigrupadavu under Manjeshwaram assembly constituency.
Thottathodi, 64, had been ailing for about a month. He was found unconscious outside a village shop and shifted to hospital. Irfana, a local leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), met him at the hospital and offered support through her NGO Sheikh Zayed Foundation, which also runs a home for senior citizens.
“Thottathodi’s sister Kamala had expressed inability to take care of him. His wife and children too did not want him at their home. With the help of the district collector, we got him admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College as he required palliative care,” Irfana told INDIA TODAY.
After Thottathodi’s death, his family and sister apparently told Irfana they didn’t have the means for his cremation. “I faced an unusual situation in my public life, but it took me no time to decide what I should do. We needed to cremate him as per Hindu rituals. I performed the last rites at the crematorium in Chigrupadavu village on the afternoon of June 26,” Irfana said.
Controversy followed the act of humanity. BJP leaders from Kasaragod, on June 29, challenged Irfana’s account. M.L. Aswini, the party’s chief for Kasaragod district, claimed it was workers of the RSS-affiliated Seva Bharati who had cremated Thottathodi. “Irfana Iqbal Uppala is using the incident for political gains. Our people, Seva Bharati, conducted the last rites,” claimed Aswini at a media interaction.
Manjeshwaram has been an old battleground for the BJP. The assembly constituency has been electing IUML candidates since 2011.
Irfana stands by her act. “People are witness to what I did. I did not consider the deceased person’s religion or political affiliation while doing the last rites. I believe even the poor and abandoned deserve to a decent goodbye,” she said.
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