Families will go to great lengths to protect their girls, especially if they have been a victim of a crime. When a rape victim sadly dies, the family will hope that she can have the dignity of a burial and not be disturbed.
A misleading post on social media showing a padlocked grave suggested that it was in Pakistan, whereas it was actually in a Hyderabad graveyard. The picture which went viral and caused a lot of shock, was accompanied by a caption which said that parents in Pakistan are placing padlocks on their daughters graves to protect them from necrophilia, which is a sexual attraction towards corpses. The original tweet which has now been deleted had a quote which stated that Pakistan was creating a ‘sexually frustrated society’. The news agency company. Asian News International had reported the news and it was shared by several news outlets.
Padlocked Grave in Hyderabad. Credit: TNM
The cemetery is located in Darab Jung Colony of Madannapet which is in Telangana. A Mosque which is opposite the cemetery, the Muazzin, the man who calls Muslims to prayer from the Mosque’s Tower, confirmed that the padlock has been on that grave for about a year and half to two years. The grave is of a woman who died in her early seventies, and her son placed the grill to stop people from burying bodies over her grave, or walking over her grave.
Jaleel spoke to Muqtar Sahab, the Muazzin of the Masjid. Mr. Muqtar said that the padlocked grave, which was approximately 1.5 to 2-year old which is located right in front of the entrance thus blocking the pathway. pic.twitter.com/z3R1tsXy2d
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) April 30, 2023
There have been instances where people bury bodies on top of previous burials, if there is a lack of space in the cemetery. With the population increasing, and the number of people who wish to be buried or want to follow family tradition of a burial after death, the question of where to bury people when there is no space, comes up. Maybe a double burial where two bodies are placed in the same plot can be considered.
