Hyderabad: Tension gripped the RTC Colony in Moula Ali on Sunday when the family of a 74-year-old dead pastor tried to bury him near their house. K. Purushottam, a church pastor, died on Saturday night and his family dug a grave in an open plot near the church compound.
Residents nearby objected to this and staged a protest. The police was called to prevent violence. The protest which lasted around three hours was settled after revenue officials, police and the area corporator talked to the family and they agreed to bury the body at a common graveyard.
Purushotham, the founder of Nissi Foundation Church in RTC Colony, passed away last Thursday in Bhutan while on a visit there. His body was brought to Hyderabad on Sunday morning.
He had constructed a church on around 400 sq.yards of land and also owned another 400 sq.yards near the church. This land was empty and was protected by a compound wall. When his body reached Hyderabad, his family made arrangements to bury him in the open plot and dug a grave.
The colony residents who came to know of this gathered at the church and staged a protest demanding that he should not be buried in the plot near the church. But the family claimed that he was close to the family and members of the church and so they wanted to bury him nearby.
Residents said that such practices should not be encouraged. “We are members of society and we should see that others are not troubled by us. We cannot allow them to bury a body in the middle of a residential area as it can cause problems.” Mr Venkat, a resident said.
As the protest heated up police was called. Malkajgiri police and revenue officials explained the situation to the family and the consequences of what they wanted. “After the explanation they agreed to bury him at a common place in HB Colony," Malkajgiri tehsildar Gowri Vathsala said. A GD entry of the incident was made at the Malkajgiri police station.
