Assam Muslim man donates land for Hindu crematorium, wins hearts

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. In this instance, the hero is Mohammad Ajimullah Shaikh from Assam—a 95-year-old Muslim gentleman who is being hailed by Hindus for an act of immense generosity.

Shaikh recently donated 1.5 kathas of his patta land to the 300 Hindu families in his native Turukpara village (3 km from Boko town) for a cremation site. 

Earlier, Hindus in the village were facing trouble while cremating departed ones as they did not have a proper cremation ground.

Around 300 Hindu families reside in the village.

"When I came to know about this problem, I immediately felt immense sadness. That is why I decided to donate the land,” the 95-year-old told India Today NE.

It is worth noting that 60 years ago, Shaikh donated 10 bighas of land to the state government for the purpose of setting up a veterinary hospital in Boko.

“We shall forever be grateful to Mr. Shaikh for his humanity, as he has donated his own land for a cremation site, even though he belongs to the Islamic faith,” said Indrajit Boro, an advisor of the Turukpara village.

Shaikh has five sons and three daughters, all of whom agreed to donate for the noble cause.

Shaikh's younger son, Arif Hussain, has emphasized communal harmony as they live in an area where Hindus and Muslims live together in equal numbers.

"Local Hindu families faced difficulties during cremation due to lack of proper land." When the locals requested land, my father donated land for cremation, and now we are happy to help the local Hindu people'', Arif told us.