A Muslim private tutor in Birbhum’s Rampurhat spent an entire day to overcome hurdles and cremate the body of a Hindu trader who died of Covid-19 on Friday.

Sudhanshu Karmakar, 37, a trader hailing from Bankura who stayed in Birbhum’s Mohammedbazar, died at a private nursing home in Rampurhat town on Friday.

Radharaman, his elder brother who stays in Bolpur, came to Rampurhat but had no idea how to cremate Sudhanshu.

“I was completely helpless after hospital authorities asked me to receive the body. I had no idea what to do apart from crying out loud,” said Radharaman.

He tried to reach out to people at the hospital but most did not help as the body was of a Covid patient. It was at this point that Ataur Rahaman, 47, appeared.

Ataur, a member of the local social outfit Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, assured Radharaman that he would arrange everything for him. “It was my first experience in handling a Covid body. I took the risk seeing Radharaman’s helplessness,” said Ataur.

However, Ataur had no idea what he would have to face. He arranged a hearse for Rs 1,000 from Rampurhat Municipality but the driver backed out when told he would have to ferry a Covid body to the crematorium.

A local driver, Akbar Ali, agreed to drive the hearse to the crematorium.

But the challenges did not end here.

As soon as the body reached the crematorium in Nalhati, people who found out that the body was of a Covid patient started pelting stones at the hearse.

Ataur called up the former chairman of Rampurhat municipality, Aswini Tiwari, who asked him to take the body to a crematorium dedicated to Covid-19 bodies. “There, I was told Covid bodies are cremated after dusk to avoid protest from residents. But I had to break my Ramazan fast in time too,” he said.

He added that he hired three people who knew Hindu cremation rituals, and went and bought garland and other items needed for last rites. Then, Radharaman cremated his brother and Ataur broke his fast.

“I honestly never thought whether the body was that of a Hindu or a Muslim,” the private tutor told this paper.

Almost in tears, Radharaman said: “I have no idea if there is a God or Allah but he (Ataur) appeared to be that supreme power. I am really grateful to Ataur bhai.”

Samirul Islam, president of Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, said what Ataur did sent the message that Bengal would never allow division on communal lines. “We have seen forces trying to divide Bengal on religious lines. But it can’t be done in Bengal. Here, brotherhood is beyond religion and politics,” said Islam.

Ayodhya couple cured

The Covid-infected couple who had travelled 850km in an ambulance from Ayodhya to Bengal’s Hooghly for oxygen, have recovered and were released late on Friday. Lalji Yadav, 50, and his wife Rekha, 48, who were denied treatment in their home state Uttar Pradesh, apparently for lack of oxygen, recovered in a private hospital in Hooghly’s Chinsurah.

The couple profusely thanked the hospital and the Bengal government. Lalji said he would return to Uttar Pradesh and tell people that if there was some hope for life amid the pandemic, it was in Bengal. “I have no words to thank the Bengal government and hospital,” said Lalji.

The state government had also arranged Remdesivir for him at the private hospital.