BATU ARANG - A group of concerned residents here lodged a dozen police reports yesterday alleging that a non-Muslim cemetery is being used as a "dumping ground" for unclaimed bodies including that of Muslims and foreigners.
The matter came to light following the burial of a Nigerian man who died of natural causes three weeks ago at the cemetery near an army camp which is gazetted for Hindus but has a small plot for Christians.
According to resident T. Julius Caesar, (pix) who works as an office assistant at SRK Batu Arang, when he questioned an undertaker who brought the body to the cemetery, a death certificate issued for the burial allegedly stated the foreigner as being Muslim.
He said the certificate issued by the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH) also stated that the body was claimed by a local Muslim undertaker.
He said the Nigerian whose name was Taufik Abdul Daud was from Puchong and had died in Kuala Lumpur, but his body was buried in Batu Arang.
Caesar said the undertaker went ahead with the burial while he took the matter to Batu Arang police.
"At the police station, an assistant of the undertaker told me that the deceased had renounced Islam and embraced Christianity. I asked him to show me proof of this. I wanted to know if he converted before or after his death. I am doing this because I do not want any trouble between the races in the area in future if this matter comes up. The cemetery is mainly for Hindus, but this has been happening too often. If the dead are indiscriminately buried here, then someday people may start bringing their dead pets for burial here. There will be no control," said Caesar who is a Christian.
Caesar said when he returned to check on the grave the following day of the burial, he found a photo of the deceased.
He said when he checked with the KLH, a staff of the mortuary told him that they had mistakenly stated the foreigner was Muslim as the man carried two fake passports.
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"If he had fake passports then the KLH should have lodged a police report. Why was this not done?" he questioned.
He said he also notified an imam of a mosque in the area before lodging a police report.
On Saturday, when residents in the area learnt about the case, about 60 of them showed up at the Batu Arang police station to lodge police reports and show their displeasure.
"Both Hindus and Muslims have made reports. The Muslims want to know if it is true the dead Nigerian was a Muslim and if that was true, why was he not be buried according to Islamic rites?" he told theSun.
According to a police spokesman, police have notified JAIS and the National Registration Department and are awaiting a reply to determine the dead man's religion. -Sundaily
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