Varanasi: The last rites of an 86-year-old man were delayed for nearly six hours after a dispute over the ownership of the graveyard erupted between two groups in Alinagar locality under Mubarakpur police station limits on Tuesday morning. The standoff ended only after intervention by the district administration, police and revenue officials, following which both sides signed an agreement allowing the burial while deciding to seek a court ruling on the land dispute.According to reports, the burial of Mohammad Shamim remained stalled as members of the Eidgah Committee stopped the family from digging the grave, claiming that the land belonged to the Eidgah. Before the two groups could come face to face, Mubarakpur police reached the spot. Sensing the gravity of the situation, they called officials from the revenue department.Naib tehsildar Virendra Kumar, revenue inspector Jaynarayan Singh and a team of lekhpals then inspected the site. Both sides were later called to the Mubarakpur police station, where talks were held. After several rounds of meetings lasting nearly six hours, it was agreed that the final decision on the land dispute would be left to the court.Azamgarh SP Anil Kumar said an agreement was signed between the two groups, after which the mortal remains of Shamim were buried at the same site.The deceased’s family claimed that the land was part of the graveyard where their ancestors had been buried for centuries.
