Mumbai: Cop helps jailed inmate perform his mother's last rites

It was thanks to API Sanjay Kandalkar (seen in the background) who took a lot of effort, that Premprakash Makhija (in blue shirt) could pay his last respects to his mother. Pic/Shadab Khan

The Mumbai police have often gone beyond their duty in this pandemic to help people, and this time, another such example comes from the Versova police station. Assistant Police Inspector Sanjay Kandalkar of the police station ensured the imprisoned son of a Versova resident was granted permission to step out of jail for two hours to perform her last rites.

API Kandalkar received information about the death of an 84-year-old later identified as Chanda Makhija and along with his team, went to her residence at Aram Nagar 1 on Thursday morning. During the inquiry, it was revealed that Makhija stayed alone and the Chavan family, her neighbours, took care of her.

Further investigation revealed that Makhija has three sons, two of whom stay elsewhere. She stayed with her younger son, Premprakash Jagdish Makhija, 35, but he was imprisoned at the Taloja Jail some months back, after being arrested in a cheating case by the Powai police.

Makhija was unwell. "When members of the Chavan family came to give her breakfast, they saw she had passed away. They alerted us. I spoke to the Taloja Jail authorities. Later, under the guidance of senior police officials, I spoke to the public prosecutor and asked for permission to allow Premprakash to do the last rites. The judge spoke to me on the phone and gave the order to the jail authorities to release Makhija's son to perform her last rites, for two hours," said API Kandalkar.

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"In the presence of the police and neighbours, Makhija's last rites were performed by her son at the Oshiwara Hindu crematorium in the evening," added API Kandalkar. Shobha Chavan said they had only done shejar dharma - a neighbour's duty - by helping her and nothing more.

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