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According to media reports, it all started with a WhatsApp forward which read
“#TablighiJamat
Today MBBS Dr. in Pune. Ramakant Joshiji has died of Corona. He has a boy but he lives in America and wife is 74 years old and Dr. They wanted to go on the shoulders of 4 people, but no family was ready to come to them because of Corona. This incident came in front of Muslim youths connected to Tabligh Jamaat who are engaged in religious preaching, and then they made all the arrangements and put the dead body on their shoulders to the cemetery and perform the funeral rites.
* This is my country and Maharashtra of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Muslim society is considered bad but once you show affection towards Muslims, they will give their life for you The Muslim community is considered bad, but the one who ran for the most help during the Corona period is the Muslim community. Thank you.
Author Rajendra Pawar, Natpute, District Sangli”
This was then shared all over social media including Twitter and Facebook, it was later picked up by some news channels.
The claim is false as this is the photograph is the funeral procession of Ramesh Mathur, a 68-year-old temple priest from Meerut's Shahpir Gate, a Muslim dominated locality.
The report was shared-on Times of India dated April 30th 2020, where Chandar Muali Mathur, who is the son of the deceased, was quoted saying "My father had a tumour in his food pipe. The treatment was going on for long. But, suddenly on Tuesday afternoon, he passed away leaving us distraught. My elder brother, who was in Delhi, could not reach home on time as there was some difficulty in arranging the pass. Relatives, too, could not come due to lockdown. This is when the neighbours came out for our help and took the funeral for last rites to crematorium.”