A higher court in the western Indian state of Maharashtra has served notices on government officials demanding an explanation for the lack of burial sites for Christians in the Thane district.

Officials have been asked to file their responses on the claim that local Christians did not have enough space to bury their dead in public interest litigation by Association member Melwyn Fernandes of Concerned Catholics.

The Bench of Chief Justice VG Bisht of the Bombay High Court, in its January 31 order, directed the officials to file their affidavits by March 11.

Christians in Thane, next to the state capital of Mumbai, formerly Bombay, face a severe lack of burial sites, although around 10 plots of government land are set aside for Christian cemeteries, Fernandes said. at UCA News on February 2.

A right to information petition he filed revealed that the earmarked plots were located in Kalwa, Kopari, Navpada, Dawale and Daighar under the Thane Municipal Corporation, which had not allocated them to the community.

Fernandes said those plots were now “either overrun by slum dwellers or handed over to builders, apparently in collusion with government officials.”

Thane’s Christian population was nearly 182,000 in 2011. It must have doubled now, but burial space has not increased.

The Christians, he said, approached the local authorities to release these plots reserved for the community, but to no avail. “I was therefore forced to move the high court to request its intervention,” he said.

The city of Thane has only three burial sites. While the two close to the church grounds are reserved for parishioners, a common cemetery welcomes all Christians but is now full.

“Thane’s Christian population was nearly 182,000 in 2011. It must have doubled now, but burial space has not increased,” Fernandes said. “Also, as it adjoins Mumbai, land prices are very high and it is not possible for the community to buy land for burials.”

Christians in India do not easily opt for cremations, which leads to difficult situations.

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In March 2019, desperation for a graveyard took an ugly turn in Thane when a few community members carried out a burial in open ground without official permission.

The burial upset local residents who filed complaints with the police which led to the arrest of community members.

Christians in the state of Maharashtra have opposed a government directive to cremate their loved ones during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 as a pandemic protocol.

However, some Christians in the state successfully challenged the directive in the High Court, arguing that it went against their faith and practice for generations.

The Thane community hopes the High Court will consider their latest plea for sufficient space to bury the dead.

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